About 50 demonstrators gathered outside the immigration court in downtown Seattle on Tuesday, chanting, beating drums, and holding signs opposing deportations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to organizers and witnesses.
The protest began peacefully, but tensions escalated when some protesters placed rental scooters in front of entrances and exits to the building, temporarily blocking access. Police later arrived at the scene.
The demonstration was organized in part by members of Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Washington.
Saying they were there in solidarity with the Los Angeles protesters, Mathieu Chabaud, a member of the group, added “and to show that we’re opposed to ICE in our community.”
Protesters held signs that read, “Free Them All; Abolish ICE” and “No to Deportations,” joining a broader national movement calling for an end to immigration detention and deportation proceedings.
Legal observers and immigrant support advocates, who regularly attend immigration court proceedings to assist and witness the hearings, were not allowed into the building during the protest.
Security guards also denied entry to members of the media.
Immigration court hearings are typically open to the public unless otherwise restricted for safety or legal reasons.
Authorities have not commented on why access was denied or whether any arrests were made during the protest.
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