Nov. 3, 2025 — Redmond, Wash. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested seven individuals accused of being in the country illegally at three locations, including the parking lot of a Home Depot, the Bear Creek Village shopping center, and near the intersection of Avondale Road NE and Novelty Hill Road NE. Masked agents emerged from unmarked vehicles, and photos and videos of the arrests circulated online, sparking community outrage and fears of racial profiling.
Redmond Police Department confirmed the activity but stated it was not informed in advance and did not participate or cooperate with immigration enforcement after verifying the agents’ authenticity. A Department of Homeland Security statement accused all seven detainees of being in the country illegally. The arrests occurred within a half-mile of the city’s Flock Safety cameras, though officials said the proximity was coincidental and no federal access to the data occurred.
In response, the Redmond City Council voted unanimously on Nov. 3 to temporarily suspend the city’s 24 Flock license plate reader cameras, installed in May and activated in June. A disconnect signal was sent on Nov. 11, halting photo capture and officer access, amid concerns over potential federal subpoenas under Washington’s public records law. This followed a University of Washington report revealing ICE and Border Patrol accessed data from 18 Washington cities without local knowledge.
Councilmember Angie Nuevacamina stated the suspension was a tool “to be able to protect and stand up for (our) community,” emphasizing the city could not guarantee against forced data release. The proximity of the arrests to some of the city’s cameras was coincidental, and not because ICE had “somehow tapped into” Redmond’s Flock cameras or data.
Police Chief Darrell Lowe confirmed no federal agencies accessed the data and planned discussions with Mayor Angela Birney. Council President Vanessa Kritzer expressed “grave concerns” about the technology, vowing to “continue to explore every avenue to be able to keep our community members safe and their dignity and human rights protected.”
Witness Angel, a U.S. citizen whose father was detained at Bear Creek Village near Panera Bread, described agents smashing a truck window without a warrant:
“They just broke the window and dragged him out.” He added, “It’s fearful. I look at every car coming in. Why? Because of the color of my skin.”
The incident drew community discussion on Reddit, with mixed reactions on privacy, safety, and ICE tactics. Redmond joins other Seattle-area cities like Renton and Auburn in altering Flock programs post-UW report. Flock Safety maintains that data release requires subpoenas with customer notification and highlights benefits like recovering kidnapped children.
