Washington State Lawmakers want to crack down on bounty hunters acting as immigration agents
This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com
In a move that could further aggravate efforts by the Trump administration to deport undocumented immigrants, several Democratic state lawmakers are pushing forward a bill that would make it illegal for bail bond recovery agents—aka bounty hunters—to enforce civil immigration laws.
Senate Bill 5714, sponsored by Senator Yasmin Trudeau, D-Tacoma, aims to keep bounty hunters in their lane and prevent them from moonlighting as immigration officers.
The bill, which had its first hearing in the Senate Law & Justice Committee on Monday, would classify civil immigration enforcement as 'unprofessional conduct' for bail bond agents and recovery agents. In other words, bounty hunters who try to play ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) could face fines, suspensions, or even lose their licenses.
'You know, sometimes we drop a simple bill to do a simple thing,' Senator Trudeau told the Senate committee during the bill's hearing. 'And this bill very simply clarifies what is within the bounds of the bail bonding profession licensed by the state of Washington.'
Bounty hunters, not border patrol
The move comes after reports surfaced of a Tacoma-based bail bondsman allegedly boasting at a community event in Sunnyside that they were continuing to work with ICE, despite state policies intended to limit local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The Washington State Bail Agents Association has since clarified that the individual in question was not a licensed bail bondsman, but the incident still raised alarms.
Bail bond recovery agents are private contractors who track down people who have skipped bail. Their job is to bring fugitives back to face justice. Senator Trudeau wants to make it clear that bounty hunters in Washington are not here to enforce federal immigration laws.
'This is about ensuring people trust the processes that we put in place,' Trudeau said. 'They need to know that when they engage with the legal system, they will be treated properly and fairly.'
At the Washington committee hearing, concerns were raised about the lack of formal training required for bail bond agents compared to law enforcement officers.
'To complete the Basic Law Enforcement Academy, you have to complete about 19 weeks or 700-plus hours,' noted Senator Nikki Torres, R-Yakima Valley, who supports the bill. 'For bail bond recovery agents, it's about 32 hours… so they're pretty much a glorified bill collector.'
Under current law, bounty hunters in Washington are already restricted in several ways. They can't impersonate police officers, misuse collateral, or fail to maintain proper records. The proposed legislation would add another restriction: they cannot use their role to execute civil immigration warrants or share a defendant's immigration status outside of their business.
Supporters of the bill argue that civil immigration enforcement is strictly a federal matter and that bail bond agents should not be getting involved.
Protecting defendants' rights
Another key provision in the bill would prevent bail bond agents from disclosing a defendant's immigration status to outside parties. This measure is meant to ensure that people who are arrested and seeking bail aren't further entangled in immigration proceedings just because a private contractor decided to act as an informant.
Immigrant rights groups, legal advocates, and faith leaders testified in favor of SB 5714, arguing that allowing bounty hunters to engage in immigration enforcement creates a climate of fear that discourages crime reporting and erodes trust in the justice system.
Kristen Ang, policy director for the Faith Action Network, told committee members that 'immigration enforcement should remain with trained federal authorities, not private actors seeking profit.'
Advocates also drew parallels between SB 5714 and Washington's 2020 'Courts Open to All Act,' which barred court employees and government workers from sharing immigration information.
'By no means should the bail bond process provide a barrier to accessing courts because of fear of immigration repercussions,' said Jason Lance of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Opposition and comparisons with other states
Opponents of the bill may argue that bounty hunters should be able to cooperate with law enforcement however they see fit.
While Washington state is considering legislation to prevent bounty hunters from picking up undocumented immigrants, other states are taking a markedly different approach. Notably, Mississippi and Missouri have introduced proposals that would empower bounty hunters to actively participate in immigration enforcement.
In Mississippi, House Bill 1484 aimed to establish the 'Mississippi Illegal Alien Certified Bounty Hunter Program,' offering certified individuals a $1,000 reward for apprehending undocumented immigrants. This initiative sought to deputize private citizens to track and detain undocumented individuals, effectively placing a bounty on their heads. However, the bill faced significant legal and political challenges and ultimately failed to advance, missing the February 4, 2025, legislative deadline.
Similarly, Missouri lawmakers have proposed legislation that would allow bounty hunters to detain undocumented immigrants and offer financial incentives for tips leading to such arrests.
Trudeau emphasized that Washington has drawn a clear 'line in the sand' with Washington, D.C.
'In this Washington, we won't tolerate any violations of state law and policy that we have passed to protect all Washington residents from inappropriate communication with ICE,' Trudeau said.
A committee vote on the bill has been scheduled for Thursday, February 20th, at 10:30 a.m.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tulsi Gabbard Flips Sides in MAGA Civil War Over Iran's Nuclear Capabilities
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has flipped her stance on Iran after President Donald Trump nuked her intelligence as 'wrong.' Gabbard told the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 25 that there was no intelligence to suggest Iran was building nuclear weapons, though the country had enriched its uranium to higher levels. Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's June 12 'preemptive' strike on Iran—which he justified by saying that the country has a 'secret plan' to weaponize uranium—Trump sided with Israel's countervailing position. On two separate occasions this week, Trump rebuffed Gabbard's earlier assessment of Iran's nuclear program. 'I don't care what [Gabbard] said,' Trump said aboard Air Force One. 'I think they were very close to having one.' In another comment on Wednesday, the president added that Iran was 'a few weeks' away from turning their uranium into a weapon, echoing similar sentiments shared by Netanyahu. Then on Friday, Gabbard fell in line with Trump, attacking the media for having the gall to believe what she said. 'The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division,' Gabbard wrote to her 600K followers. 'America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly.' She added, 'President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree.' Gabbard included a clip of what she called her 'full testimony,' which has since racked up 8.9 million views. The world has been thrown into a state of limbo while Trump weighs a decision on whether to get the United States involved in strikes on Iran, a decision the country warned would be 'very dangerous.' In a statement read on Thursday by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump said he would make his decision 'within the next two weeks' based on the fact that there 'is a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future.' Reuters reported that the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with a group of European diplomats in Geneva on Friday for nuclear talks.
Bloomberg
30 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Ex-Columbia Grad Student Arrives in Newark After Release
Ex-Columbia Grad Student Khalil arrives in Newark Airport after release from ICE Custody. (Source: Bloomberg)
Newsweek
34 minutes ago
- Newsweek
US B-2 Stealth Bombers on the Move Across Pacific
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. As the fighting between Israel and Iran continues, six B-2 stealth bombers departed Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and are en route to Guam, according to U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News and flight tracking data analyzed by multiple news outlets. Newsweek reached out the Pentagon's Defense Press Operations office and the White House via email on Saturday for comment. NITRO KC135s returning to Altus AFB, OK B2s MYTEE11 FLT & MYTEE21 FLT continuing westbound to destination Andersen AFB, Guam. — Aircraft Spots (@AircraftSpots) June 21, 2025 Why It Matters This month, the conflict between Israel and Iran has escalated dramatically, with President Donald Trump calling for the evacuation of Tehran, Iran's capital city home to over 9.5 million people. Israel initially struck Tehran and several other cities in "Operation Rising Lion," a campaign it said was meant to preempt a planned Iranian attack and disrupt Iran's nuclear capabilities. Iran, which has said its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, has since retaliated, though Israeli defense systems—bolstered by U.S. military technology—have intercepted about 99 percent of incoming missile fire, according to Israeli officials on Saturday morning in an X, formerly Twitter, post. Iran hit a hospital in southern Israel on Thursday, and local reports noted that buildings in Tel Aviv were on fire from Iranian missiles on Friday. Israel's strikes have killed at least 585 people in Iran—including 239 civilians—and wounded another 1,300, according to a human rights group that has long tracked the country, Washington-based Human Rights Activists. Iran's government has not offered overall casualty figures. Israel has said 24 people have been killed since Friday and 500 more have been wounded, according to Israeli officials. The U.S. is Israel's closest ally, providing billions of dollars in military aid annually. Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Iran disintegrated, and the two countries have held strained, distrusting relations over the past four-decades. Iran's nuclear program has long been a focal point of U.S. and Israeli concern, with Iran insisting its efforts are solely for energy purposes. The second Trump administration had been involved in talks with Iran ahead of the conflict, although no formal diplomacy has come out of it. During his first presidency, Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran Nuclear Deal. B-2s and Bunker-Buster Bombs The B-2 can carry two 15-ton bunker-buster bombs—which only the U.S. possesses, making these aircraft critical to any potential operation against Iran's most fortified nuclear sites. Officials and experts have suggested that the U.S.'s 30,000-pound (13,000kg) bunker-buster bomb is the only weapon capable of destroying the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, a facility believed to be central to Tehran's nuclear program and carved deep into a mountain. The movement signals the U.S. may be positioning military assets to provide Trump with operational options as the Israel-Iran conflict intensifies. A B-2 Stealth Bomber opens the 135th Rose Parade Presented by Honda on January 1, 2024, in Pasadena, California. A B-2 Stealth Bomber opens the 135th Rose Parade Presented by Honda on January 1, 2024, in Pasadena, To Know The bombers apparently refueled after launching from Missouri, suggesting they launched without full fuel tanks due to a heavy onboard payload, which could potentially be bunker-buster bombs. The deployment comes as Trump prepares to meet with his national security team to discuss potential U.S. involvement in Israeli strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities. According to The New York Times, air traffic control communications showed the B-2 aircraft taking off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Iran's most advanced and hardened nuclear facility, the Fordow plant in the country's northwest, is a fortress. Built inside a mountain some 300 feet underground and reinforced by layers of concrete, the plant, which is the most likely target of a potential American strike, is impenetrable by any bomb except the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). The B-2 Spirit, a U.S. stealth bomber, is currently the only aircraft designed to deploy the GBU-57 and can carry two bunker buster bombs at a time. Military experts note that destroying such fortified targets would likely require multiple precision strikes at the exact same location. Earlier on Saturday, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes against missile sites and a nuclear facility in Iran, while Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles and launched drones into Israel. What People Are Saying Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard wrote on X on Friday: "America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree." President Donald Trump earlier this week wrote on Truth Social: "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a national address, in part: "We warn America of the consequences of engaging in war, because it will suffer severe damage if it decides to do so. War is met with war, bombing with bombing, and strike with strike." Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on X on Wednesday: "Iran solely acts in self-defense. Even in the face of the most outrageous aggression against our people, Iran has so far only retaliated against the Israeli regime and not those who are aiding and abetting it. Just like Netanyahu manufactured this war to destroy diplomacy, the world should be highly alarmed about increasing attempts by the failing Israeli regime to get others to bail it out and to expand the flames to the region and beyond." What Happens Next Trump will make a decision on whether to have the U.S. join Israel's war with Iran "within the next two weeks," according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who told reporters Thursday that the decision is based on Trump's view of whether Iran "may" or "may not" agree to a diplomatic resolution through negotiations over its nuclear program. The president is expected to receive intelligence briefings with the National Security Council (NSC) over the weekend as he considers possible actions against Iran.
