Researchers say arrests more than doubled in a matter of months, with Yakima County recording the highest rate in Washington. SEATTLE — New research from the University of Washington Center for Human Rights shows immigration arrests across the Pacific Northwest surged dramatically at the end of 2025, after remaining relatively steady for years. Researchers analyzed federal immigration arrest records and found the number of arrests in Washington, Oregon and Alaska more than doubled in just a few months. The data comes from I-213 forms which are documents federal agents file whenever someone is detained for an immigration violation. Each form details which federal agencies were involved and where and when the arrest occurred. “This data was really surprising,” said researcher Phil Neff, who helped analyze the records. The forms were obtained through public records requests and compiled into a new dataset tracking immigration enforcement activity across the region. The data suggests enforcement began ramping up around May 2025, particularly in central Washington. “When I was out there a few weeks ago, people I talked to were not surprised,” Neff said. “They’ve been monitoring and responding to this for the last nine months now, and essentially it started in May 2025 in Yakima to really ramp up.” Researchers found Yakima County recorded the highest arrest rate in Washington in 2025 — about 180 arrests per 100,000 residents. By comparison, King County’s rate was significantly lower, around 40 arrests per 100,000 residents, according to the data. The arrest forms also reveal how federal agents sometimes identified the people they were targeting. One form shows officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducting a registration query on a pickup truck with a Washington license plate. According to the report, agents then searched federal databases using the vehicle’s registered owner, which produced what the document described as “positive results for immigration violations.” Neff said those records indicate agents accessed information through the Washington State Department of Licensing. “Our concern is that it appears that a lot of these arrests, particularly vehicular arrests on the side of highways, involve dragnet surveillance of communities,” Neff said. “Agents scanning people’s license plates, accessing Department of Licensing data, and using that to identify people.” Neff said the true number of arrests could be higher than what appears in the dataset. That’s because the analysis focuses on certain types of arrest forms and may not capture people re-arrested or detained during immigration appointments. “This might be only a fraction of the true amount,” Neff said. “Maybe around 80 percent is our best guess.” Researchers say they requested additional records to better understand enforcement trends, but the request was denied after federal officials said the Department of Homeland Security’s FOIA office had been placed on furlough during the current partial government shutdown. “The FOIA office is currently furloughed due to the ongoing democratic government shutdown, which is causing financial hardships for civil servants and disrupting federal operations," an ICE Media spokesperson said in an email Thursday. The findings come as immigration enforcement activity in Washington has drawn increased scrutiny in recent months, particularly around how federal agents identify and track potential targets.