ICE in Auburn conducting immigration enforcement
Published 3:48 pm Monday, July 27, 2026
Agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were in Auburn and Renton performing an enforcement operation this past weekend on July 26.
According to the Auburn Police Department (APD), local police officers were not involved in the operation or notified about the presence of agents in advance.
APD Assistant Chief Samuel Betz provided a statement in a July 27 Facebook post.
“APD does not participate in civil immigration enforcement or provide local police resources for those operations,” he said. “This is consistent with Washington’s Keep Washington Working Act (KWW) and Auburn’s longstanding policy. Our focus is enforcing state and local law and protecting everyone in Auburn.”
This act “restricts the extent to which local law enforcement agencies (LEAs) may participate in the enforcement of federal immigration laws,” according to the Washington State Office of the Attorney General’s website.
APD made it clear that it wants community residents to continue feeling safe when reaching out to local law enforcement for support.
“We will continue to serve every person in Auburn with the fairness, dignity and respect they deserve,” Betz said.
It is unknown if ICE agents took any individuals into custody in Auburn.
In Renton, it was confirmed by the Renton Police Department (RPD) that an individual was taken into custody by federal agents outside of RPD at Renton City Hall around 11:40 a.m. on July 26.
RPD provided a statement about the event, and similar to APD, the department did not know that federal agents were conducting an immigration enforcement operation.
That morning, “a driver called Valley Communications Dispatch to report they were being followed. The caller did not know who was following them,” said RPD Chief Jon Schuldt.
The caller was then directed to RPD at City Hall, as standard protocol requires. The individual was taken into custody before RPD officers could arrive, according to RPD’s statement.
Like APD, RPD are local law enforcement and are required to follow the guidelines of the KKW Act that do not allow them to participate in immigration enforcement.
“We recognize that incidents like this can raise questions and concerns within our community. Our commitment remains the same: to serve everyone in Renton with professionalism, respect, and fairness, regardless of immigration status,” Schuldt said.
A spokesperson from ICE would not release any information about the arrest without The Auburn Reporter providing the name(s) of the individual(s) taken into custody. This information is unknown at this time.
