Did ICE agents raid a Lacey area-home Monday? Thurston County officials explain
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Thurston County SWAT Team, not ICE, responded to Lacey home Monday morning.
- Cms. Emily Clouse shared and deleted video; Sheriff Derek Sanders clarified context.
- Deputies arrested one person on suspicion of second-degree assault, domestic violence.
Thurston County law enforcement, not U.S. immigration agents, responded to a Lacey-area neighborhood Monday morning.
Sheriff Derek Sanders clarified the situation Monday after Thurston County Commissioner Emily Clouse shared video of the law enforcement response without context on Facebook.
“We have no issue being recorded by citizens or elected officials but do want to ensure the public understands what exactly it is they are watching in such footage so that incorrect conclusions aren’t drawn,” Sanders said in his own Facebook post.
The now-deleted video showed Clouse parking in a cul-de-sac on Trailblazer Street Southeast and then walking toward the scene of a local law enforcement response. In a follow-up post, Clouse said she went to observe the scene after receiving a community alert about potential immigration enforcement.
“When I arrived on scene, I was relieved to discover that it was not federal agents,” Clouse said. “I observed several local law enforcement agencies responding to a domestic violence incident involving weapons.”
U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) has significantly stepped-up raids, arrests and detentions throughout the country since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, prompting backlash and protests.
As of Jan. 15, ICE held about 73,000 people facing deportation, a record-high for the agency and an 84% increase over the same time last year, CBS News reported Friday.
On Jan. 7, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good, a mother of three and U.S. citizen, during an encounter in Minneapolis, Minnesota, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported. Witnesses captured video of the shooting, which led to protests across the nation.
Clouse contextualized her actions Monday amid this backdrop.
“During a time of increasing violence targeting immigrant communities, one actionable response is to observe and inform each other of what is going on in our communities,” Clouse said in her post.
I strongly encourage all interested community members to get involved in groups like Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network to learn how to safely advocate for those currently being targeted.”
Clouse said the public has a right to observe and record police activity in public spaces as long as they do not interfere with their work.
“In this instance, upon notifying those who reported the activity and confirming the situation, I left the area and chose to delete the video,” Clouse said.
What happened on Trailblazer Street?
Deputies responded to a reported domestic-violence assault with a firearm at a home on Trailblazer Street, according to Sanders and the jail log. When they got there, he said deputies learned a man pulled the slide back on a handgun, pointed the handgun at a victim’s head and refused to exit the home.
“Due to the severity of the crime with a firearm involved, SWAT team operators responded to assist patrol deputies,” Sanders said.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, short for Special Weapons and Tactics Team, is a multi-jurisdictional team comprised of 25 people, according to the Thurston County website.
The team includes 10 Sheriff’s Office deputies, four Lacey police officers, four Olympia police officers, four Tumwater police officers, one Yelm police officer, one tactical paramedic from the Tumwater Fire Department and one ER doctor from Providence St. Peter Hospital.
The SWAT Team responds to especially risky situations with tactical gear and uses an armored vehicle with SWAT and Sheriff labels.
The man who refused to exit the home “surrendered peacefully” after the SWAT Team deployed a flash bang, or stun grenade, and negotiated with him, Sanders said.
Law enforcement then entered the home and seized multiple firearms, he added.
Jail records show deputies booked a 30-year-old man in the county jail on suspicion of second-degree assault, domestic violence, and third-degree malicious mischief, domestic violence.
“Great job today by deputies, detectives, and our SWAT team who responded to an extremely dangerous incident that yielded a peaceful outcome as a result of their hard work,” the sheriff wrote in his post.
This story was originally published January 20, 2026 at 11:57 AM.
