BREAKING: Seattle jail admits to hiring illegal migrants to guard citizens, will fight state ban to keep them.
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) October 24, 2025
In a major escalation of the scandal reported exclusively by The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red 770 AM, the King County Department of Adult & Juvenile Detention (DAJD) has publicly acknowledged that at least 38 of its corrections officers were hired and certified despite failing to meet the immigration-eligibility requirement under state law. And the county is continuing to employ most of them in the positions they were illegally hired to.
The revelation comes after a whistleblower filed a complaint alleging the questionable hires may top 100, raising urgent questions about DAJD’s hiring practices, leadership oversight, and potential public-safety consequences.
Under Revised Code of Washington43.101.095 (RCW 43.101.095), the state may not certify a corrections officer unless they are U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or individuals covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Rather than simply admit error and fix the hiring and vetting process, the DAJD is reportedly planning to challenge the state law, arguing that they should be able to hire Corrections Officers with work visas.
https://seattlered.com/jason-rantz/king-county-jail-illegal-hires/4114761
State and local officials are investigating a Seattle-area corrections department after a whistleblower alleged the county was hiring unqualified immigrants as guards, according to a complaint filed with Washington state authorities.
“Individuals have been hired while holding only temporary work visas, and in some cases, with expired work authorization altogether,” the unnamed whistleblower wrote to the state’s Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC), regarding hirings in King County. “These hires are in direct violation of the statutory requirements set forth by state law.”
The whistleblower was identified only as an officer from the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention.