Federal agents apparently detained a person Monday, Oct. 12, in the City Market parking lot on Capitol Hill. It is the second time video has captured what appears to be an immigration operation in the neighborhood since August, according to Capitol Hill Seattle News.

The footage, posted around 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 12, shows officers in tactical gear clustered around the open driver's-side door of a sedan on Bellevue Avenue.

An unmarked dark vehicle pinned the car from behind. A yellow school bus sat stopped nearby and pedestrians passed on the sidewalk.

The video is labeled as an "I.C.E." operation. The exact agency has not been confirmed. The tactical gear and unmarked vehicles could belong to another federal task force or regional unit, Capitol Hill Seattle News reported.

ICE regional spokesperson Alethea Smock did not respond to the outlet's previous inquiries about operations in the neighborhood.

A pattern across Seattle

The Capitol Hill incident fits a broader pattern. The Seattle Times reported in August that federal agents had detained at least 10 people in separate daytime arrests since July 11 in neighborhoods including Queen Anne, Wallingford, SoDo, West Seattle and South Lake Union.

The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN), which operates a statewide deportation defense hotline, told the Seattle Times that Seattle detentions reported to the organization more than doubled in the first half of 2026. There were 36 reports between January and July, compared with 14 during the same period in 2025. The majority of confirmed arrests involved people with no criminal record, according to WAISN's data.

Statewide, WAISN recorded 42 confirmed immigration enforcement arrests in June alone, a nearly 45% increase from the 29 it recorded in January, the Seattle Times reported in July.

The Trump administration hired 12,000 additional ICE agents since July 2025 and set a quota of 2,000 arrests per day nationwide, according to the Seattle Times.

City response and hotline cuts

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Police Chief Shon Barnes directed Seattle Police officers to investigate, verify and document reported ICE activity in February. District 7 Council Member Robert Kettle, who chairs the public safety committee, sponsored a resolution condemning federal immigration enforcement actions and a separate ordinance to ban civil immigration enforcement staging on city property.

The city earmarked $45,000 for signage prohibiting immigration enforcement staging, according to Capitol Hill Seattle News.

The organization tracking these operations is running on reduced capacity. WAISN laid off 14 workers on Sept. 30, including its deportation defense hotline staff and rapid-response organizers, RANGE reported. The hotline operates 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays, down from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

WAISN said it started 2026 in a deficit and had not received funding at the scale it needs.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a law requiring law enforcement to be reasonably identifiable through a name displayed on their uniform and prohibiting officers from hiding their identity with masks.

Capitol Hill Seattle News said it is still checking with officials for more details on the Oct. 12 operation.