A Venezuelan national convicted of two counts of child molestation could be released after serving his prison term unless Seattle cooperates with federal immigration authorities, the Department of Homeland Security says.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has filed a detainer request for Leomar Alexander Lopez Zambrano, asking local officials to transfer him to federal custody instead of releasing him when his sentence ends.
The dispute adds to a long-running conflict between the Trump administration and sanctuary jurisdictions, which limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The 2026 midterm results have also raised questions about whether those local policies could become more entrenched as Democrats prepare to take control of both chambers of Congress.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Washington state officials were declining to honor ICE’s request. He described Zambrano as an undocumented immigrant convicted of two child-molestation offenses and argued that local officials were choosing to release him rather than work with federal authorities.
Hans von Spakovsky, an immigration policy expert with Advancing American Freedom, said he expects sanctuary jurisdictions to feel more confident resisting federal enforcement after the election. He also suggested Democrats might try to impeach immigration official Tom Homan, though he doubted such an effort would succeed. Even so, von Spakovsky said, it could encourage further resistance to federal immigration policy.
DHS says some sanctuary jurisdictions limit communication with ICE, making it difficult for the agency to know when people in local custody are about to be released. Zambrano is nearing the end of a 15-month sentence, after which he could face deportation. Mullin said federal officials might not know when he leaves jail without cooperation from Seattle.
The department said detainer requests are the safest way to take criminal undocumented immigrants into federal custody. It added that people may be released into communities when local authorities decline to work with ICE, and said seven of the 10 safest U.S. cities cooperate with the agency.
Some Republicans have raised concerns that resistance to immigration enforcement could spread beyond traditionally Democratic cities. Conservative commentator Dan Bongino pointed to Texas’ newly elected Democratic governor, Gina Hinojosa, who opposed restrictions on sanctuary policies while serving in the state legislature in 2017. Bongino argued that voters had endorsed making Texas a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, despite the state’s border with Mexico.
Von Spakovsky also expects congressional Democrats to try to limit immigration enforcement funding through the appropriations process. He questioned whether they would succeed, particularly if funding restrictions were tied to government spending bills the president is expected to sign.
Asked whether DHS was concerned that sanctuary jurisdictions might become more defiant as Democrats return to power in Washington, the department relayed Mullin’s response: “Deportations will continue.”
Seattle officials did not respond to requests for comment about Zambrano’s case.
