A Venezuelan national convicted on two counts of child molestation is nearing the end of a 15-month prison sentence in Seattle, and federal officials say the city is refusing to hand him over to immigration authorities once he's released. Leomar Alexander Lopez Zambrano could instead walk free into the United States unless Seattle cooperates with a detainer request filed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to federal officials.
As reported by Fox News, Zambrano is now approaching the end of his sentence, and ICE has asked that he be turned over rather than released back into the U.S. once his time is served. The detainer request puts Seattle at the center of a standoff over whether local authorities will cooperate with federal immigration enforcement before Zambrano's release date arrives.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin accused Washington officials of stonewalling the handoff. “Sanctuary politicians in Washington are refusing to honor the ICE detainer and hand this disgusting criminal over to us after he finishes his prison sentence,” Mullin said, according to the same Fox News report. Mullin also said DHS would have no way of knowing when Zambrano is out of jail without Seattle's cooperation, since his release would normally be the point at which he faces deportation.
Where Seattle and King County Stand on Detainers
Seattle's own policy explains the dynamic at play. The city's published FAQ states that DHS enforces civil federal immigration violations, but that King County — not the city — holds jurisdiction over the jail system, so Seattle defers ICE detainer requests to the county, according to the City of Seattle.
The King County Sheriff's Office, for its part, says outright that it does not honor ICE or DHS detainer notices, citing Washington State law, King County Code, and its own department policy, per King County. That position traces back to state statute: Washington's RCW 10.93.160 bars state or local government and law enforcement agencies from denying services, benefits, privileges, or opportunities to certain people in custody or under specified supervision on the basis of an immigration detainer, according to the Washington State Legislature.
A DHS statement said ICE lodged the detainer on October 14, identifying Zambrano as having been convicted on two counts of third-degree child molestation and sentenced to 15 months in prison in Seattle. DHS also said it fears Seattle may cut off communication with federal law enforcement about Zambrano's status, noting that sanctuary cities often sever that kind of contact altogether.
A Broader Pattern DHS Points To
DHS has pointed to this case as part of a larger pattern it attributes to sanctuary jurisdictions nationwide. The agency said arrest detainers are the safest way to arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens, and claimed that some sanctuary jurisdictions instead release criminal illegal aliens from jails directly into American communities. DHS also reported that seven of the ten safest U.S. cities cooperate with ICE.
In California, DHS said non-honored detainers are associated with more than 81,000 criminal charges or convictions, including 169 homicides and 147 sexual assaults, according to figures reported by The Epoch Times. The outlet also reported DHS's claim that nearly 24,000 people with criminal convictions or charges have been released into California communities since January 20, 2025, because the state did not honor ICE detainers. DHS made a similar claim about New York, saying the state did not honor 14,916 ICE detainers issued between January 20, 2025, and September 14, 2026, which the agency tied to 47,750 criminal charges and convictions.
Political Fallout After the Midterms
The dispute is unfolding just after the 2026 midterm elections, in which Democrats are preparing to retake majorities in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Hans von Spakovsky, an immigration expert with Advancing American Freedom, said he has no doubt that sanctuary jurisdictions will feel emboldened by those gains. Von Spakovsky also raised the possibility that Democrats could try to impeach Tom Homan, whom he described as the administration's immigration enforcement czar, over alleged wrongdoing — though he said he doubted such an effort would succeed.```Von Spakovsky further suggested Democrats may try to target DHS and Department of Justice immigration enforcement funding through congressional appropriations, including defunding immigration prosecutions at DOJ, but said he doubted any funding restrictions would survive if attached to government funding the president has to sign.
Conservative commentator and podcast host Dan Bongino weighed in on a separate but related flashpoint, suggesting Texas voters' election choices could turn the border state into a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants. That remark follows the election of Gina Hinojosa as Texas governor; Hinojosa voted against sanctuary city restrictions as a state legislator in 2017. Mullin, who spoke at ICE headquarters in Washington, D.C. on October 9, said deportations will continue regardless of local resistance.
Fox News reported that Seattle had not responded to requests for comment about Zambrano's status as of publication. The case leaves unresolved exactly when Zambrano will be released from custody and what, if anything, happens to the ICE detainer once he is.
