# ICE seeks Seattle transfer of convicted child molester into federal custody

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/child-molesters-looming-prison-release-reignites-sanctuary-showdown-in-wake-of-dem-election-sweep/
- Published: 2026-11-06T08:08:43+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T14:32:45+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/child-molester-looming-prison-release-reignites-sanctuary-showdown-wake-dem-election-sweep
- Topics: Elections, Politics, World

## Key points

- ICE wants Seattle to transfer Zambrano into federal custody after his sentence.
- The dispute centres on local co-operation with federal immigration enforcement.
- The article links the row to Democrats’ gains in the 2026 midterms.

## Summary

ICE has asked Seattle to transfer Leomar Alexander Lopez Zambrano into federal custody when his prison sentence ends, reopening a dispute over the city’s sanctuary policies. The case has become part of a wider argument over co-operation between local authorities and federal immigration officials, with the article linking the debate to the political shift after the 2026 midterm elections.

Zambrano, a Venezuelan national described in the article as an illegal immigrant, is nearing the end of a 15-month sentence after being convicted on two counts of child molestation. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Seattle’s approach could leave ICE unaware of his release. An immigration expert quoted in the article said sanctuary jurisdictions may feel emboldened after Democrats’ election gains, while the article also raises the prospect of greater congressional scrutiny of Trump administration officials and mentions Texas’s newly elected Democratic governor.

## Coverage

- [Fox News: ICE seeks Seattle transfer of convicted child molester into federal custody](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/child-molester-looming-prison-release-reignites-sanctuary-showdown-wake-dem-election-sweep)
- [New York Post: Child molester’s looming prison release reignites sanctuary showdown in wake of Dem election sweep](https://nypost.com/2026/11/06/us-news/child-molester-leomar-alexander-lopez-zambranos-looming-prison-release-reignites-sanctuary-in-wake-of-dem-election-sweep/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.