A federal appeals court ruled that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can continue using Seattle’s King County International Airport, also known as Boeing Field, for deportation flights. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a 2019 local executive order that attempted to block President Trump’s immigration policies. The court found that King County violated its contract by prohibiting deportation flights from the airport. The 2019 order had forced ICE to use a more distant airport in Yakima, Washington, which increased operational costs and raised security concerns.

The legal battle began when the U.S. sued King County in 2020, arguing that the county’s actions were unfair to ICE and violated a World War II-era contract granting the federal government access to the airport. The court agreed with the U.S. government, stating that King County, as the airport owner, was required to allow the federal government to use it without interfering with federal operations. The court’s decision allows ICE to resume deportation flights at Boeing Field, and the county now provides public access to deportation flight details, including video feeds and logs, on its website.