Heated clash over proposed ICE-hiring ban derails public hearing in Olympia
State legislators clashed Thursday morning during a tense committee hearing on a bill that aims to prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents hired during President Donald Trump’s second term from later serving as police in Washington.
House Bill 2641 by state Rep. Tarra Simmons, a Bremerton Democrat, was scheduled to receive a public hearing in the House Community Safety Committee the morning of Jan. 29. But the committee’s chair, Democratic Rep. Roger Goodman of Kirkland, pumped the brakes after interactions between Simmons and the committee’s Republican members got a bit heated, ultimately suspending the hearing before the public could testify.
The bill would prohibit certain Washington law enforcement agencies from employing anyone who was hired by ICE on or after Jan. 20, 2025 — the day of Trump’s second-term inauguration.
Critics have blasted the bill as discriminatory and politically motivated. Simmons has contended that the reasoning behind it isn’t based on political affiliation but rather rooted in concerns over how such agents were trained.
Simmons, who serves as the committee’s vice chair, said when introducing her bill that lawmakers are hearing from constituents who are “terrified, outraged and begging us to protect them” amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. She said ICE agents have broken car windows; grabbed people off the streets; detained undocumented immigrants and those in the country legally, as well as U.S. citizens; and used “children as bait to detain their parents.”
“Point of order!” interjected Republican state Rep. Jenny Graham of Spokane, the committee’s ranking member.
Goodman then urged Simmons to refrain from using inflammatory language.
In continuing, Simmons cited recent deaths at the hands of ICE agents, including in Minnesota.
Earlier this month two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, were fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, sparking widespread protests.
“We can’t afford to take a step back by potentially hiring individuals … who are steeped in a culture of lawlessness,” she said.
Graham again stepped in: “Point of order.”
Simmons then cited a recent news conference held by Gov. Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown, noting that state officials are gearing up for the possibility of a federal intervention in Washington. She said that officer recruitment in the state is crucial but referenced worries about certain ICE agents’ ability to keep the peace and respect constitutional rights.
If the bill were ultimately enacted, Simmons said she’d be open to potentially adjusting the law down the line, reasoning that some young men attracted by ICE’s significant hiring bonus might continue to mature in the years to come.
“But in this moment and in this time, we are facing unprecedented times — and the people of Washington are overwhelmingly calling for us to have an unprecedented response,” she said. “The ‘ICE Out Act of 2026’ is one thing that we can do to say, ‘No, not here,’ and fight back against the unconscionable actions that we’re witnessing all across our country.”
State Rep. Brian Burnett, a Wenatchee Republican, raised concerns about whether the policy discriminates against law-abiding citizens. To that Simmons answered that there’d be questions about the character of anyone who signs up for ICE now. Republican state Rep. Dan Griffey of Allyn also flagged potential discrimination issues with the bill.
Simmons said she sees community activists working with local police every day who will “protect them from this federal overreach coming.”
“We want to keep that. I want to keep that,” she said. “And I think right now, everyone is very much afraid of ICE.”
At that Goodman suspended the hearing on the bill and attempted to move onto the next agenda item. Graham urged him to allow Republicans to enter caucus, after which he called for a brief recess.
It is unclear when, or if, HB 2641 will be back for a public hearing; scheduling is up to the committee chair to decide. Feb. 4 is the final day for non-fiscal-committee bills to be voted out of a policy committee.
This story was originally published January 29, 2026 at 12:27 PM.
.jpg)