ICE transfer flights from Boeing Field climb, detainee numbers rise in 2026
Oct 14, 2026·Location: Seattle, WA

King County's public flight log recorded 119 ICE transfer flights departing Boeing Field in 2026 as of Oct. 14, with detainees averaging 57 per flight, a 35.7% increase over 2025's average of 42. Flights have carried detainees to destinations including El Paso, TX, Mesa, AZ, and San Diego, CA, with some arriving detainees transported to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. A University of Washington Center for Human Rights report found detainees at that facility averaged nearly 70 days in solitary confinement, far exceeding the 15-day threshold the United Nations considers torture, and identified discrepancies between facility and ICE records on solitary confinement placements.
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