Overview
- HB 2641, the 'ICE Out Act of 2026,' would bar Washington state and local law enforcement agencies from hiring anyone sworn as an ICE officer on or after Jan. 20, 2025, with an Oct. 1 effective date if enacted.
- Sponsor Rep. Tarra Simmons says the measure aims to protect community trust and prevent what she describes as 'occupying force' tactics she attributes to recent ICE operations.
- Republican lawmakers call the proposal discriminatory and warn it would worsen staffing shortages in a state that ranks last nationally in officers per capita.
- Reporters highlight potential constitutional and employment-law challenges, noting Supreme Court limits on hiring based on political affiliation and that AG Nick Brown has not evaluated the bill.
- The bill currently lists Rep. Shaun Scott as a co-sponsor, and as of late Thursday the text was not posted on the legislature’s website and no committee hearing had been announced.