ICE eyes new Tukwila office near hub for deportation flights

Tukwila is one location where Immigration and Customs Enforcement appears to be eyeing more office space, as the agency aims to boost staff nationwide.

The office building in Tukwila is called the Riverfront Technical Park. It's nestled between an Amazon warehouse and a postal service processing center.

WIRED first reported on this potential new address for ICE offices, citing lease documents they reviewed for sites across the country, but details were scarce for the Tukwila office they listed.

Inside the building one side features offices for businesses tied to health care and engineering. The other half is partially vacant, and there are no visible signs of ICE staff, at least not yet.

In early January, ICE announced that it's doubled it's manpower for immigration enforcement from 10,000 to 22,000 agents.

"With these new patriots on the team, we will be able to accomplish what many say was impossible and fulfill President Trump’s promise to make America safe again," the Department of Homeland Security wrote in the announcement.

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Much of the agency's expansion has been tied to the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill in 2025, which increased immigration enforcement funding to $75 billion.

Federal records show the building is leased by the General Services Administration. That’s the U.S. agency that manages government facilities.

In front of the parking lot, a "FOR LEASE" sign advertises 84,500 square feet of space. The real estate and data center company, Sabey Corparation, describes itself as a company at the "edge of the biotech, healthcare and technology industries." A Sabey sales rep said the property isn't listed for lease.

Photos of the site online show that an aviation partnership used to have an office here, but now the sign for the business has been removed.

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City records show this building is zoned for manufacturing and industrial use. No permits have been formally submitted for detention purposes, according to the City of Tukwila.

A few minutes north of the Riverfront Technical Park is the King County International Airport, more commonly known as Boeing Field. ICE operates privately chartered deportation flights from the airport.

To the south is another ICE field office about a mile away housed in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security building. That's the site where immigrants who haven't been locked up regularly check in while their cases are pending.

It's also the site of a showdown last year between armed immigration enforcement officers and protesters. The protesters barricaded off parking lot exits from the building to prevent detainees from being sent to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma.

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Sabey Corporation, the property owner for both the Riverfront Technical Park and the Tukwila DHS offices, declined to comment on the future of its partnership with the federal government.

ICE also has not responded to requests for comment.