A demonstration outside the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle escalated Monday night when protesters removed and set fire to American flags, capping a day-long protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The protest began early in the morning around 8 a.m., as demonstrators used rental scooters and bicycles to block access points to the building, which houses the Seattle immigration court. Authorities did not initially intervene to remove the makeshift barricades, allowing the protest to continue into the evening hours.
Tensions rose later in the day as Seattle police officers encountered demonstrators near 2nd Avenue and Marion Street. Officers deployed pepper balls during a brief clash, but the confrontation lasted less than a minute, and police quickly withdrew from the area.
Shortly before 10 p.m., demonstrators removed the American flag from the building’s eastern flagpole and set it ablaze. Minutes later, another flag on the western side of the plaza was also burned. By 10:30 p.m., the group had dwindled to about a dozen remaining individuals.
Seattle police confirmed that two people were arrested during the protest, although specific charges were not immediately disclosed.
The federal building has been a focal point for anti-ICE protests in recent years, reflecting ongoing tensions surrounding U.S. immigration policies and enforcement actions.
