Seattle passes bill to prohibit immigration agents from 'staging' on city property

SEATTLE - Seattle city leaders have passed a bill that prohibits federal immigration enforcement agents from staging on city property.

Councilmember Bob Kettle says they started working on a staging bill last fall. He says it's part of a wider collection of actions that address federal law enforcement activity.

"We are working with communities in terms of creating a safe base in our city," said Kettle.

What To Know:

The staging bill, as it's being called, restricts federal law enforcement agents, like ICE, from using city-owned property for civil enforcement.

Councilmembers had been considering limits on federal law enforcement activity in Seattle for months. This latest legislation, limiting what federal law enforcement can do on city property, passed.

"This is not a reaction to anything specific but is part of the strategy," said Councilmember Bob Kettle.

Kettle helped to spearhead the passing of the bill.

"Basically we are saying, ‘do not use us or our property in this case in order to do your mission,’" Kettle said.

What they're saying:

The council issued the following statement regarding the passage of the legislation:

Council Bill 121164 goes further than similar legislation that has been passed in other jurisdictions. It applies to city owned property, as well as properties that are leased by the City or leased to non-profit service providers that provide essential services to vulnerable populations.

"'We hear every week from our Seattle communities how scared residents are and I’ve repeatedly expressed since last summer how disturbed I am with ICE’s conduct in its operations. This conduct recklessly undermines our community safety work,' said Councilmember Kettle, who chairs the Public Safety Committee. 

"This Council is united against ICE’s cruel and unreasonable tactics. We’ve passed four pieces of legislation to date, and we will continue to explore every legal tool available to protect our diverse communities and ensure everyone feels safe here."

The backstory:

The council also recently passed a year-long moratorium on detention centers, which would block new immigration detention centers from opening in the city and prevent existing facilities from expanding.

"It also shows those vulnerable communities, it shows all of Seattle, that we are serious about this, and we are taking action and that we are not ignoring it," Kettle said.

The bill comes after Mayor Katie Wilson issued a directive in January, tasking the department of finance and administrative services with creating signage for the city to signal the restrictions. A similar executive order was issued by King County in February.

For those who have accused the city in the past of doing performative legislation, Kettle says when looking at the bills and ordinances together, he says they show a fuller picture.  

"I understand the point, but I would also add the collection of bills together also starts to really show what we are looking to do," said Kettle.

What's next:

Kettle said the city is also looking at updating limits on automatic license plate readers. He says the council is considering inserting a 60-day pause on LPR cameras. So, if for some reason the federal government or an outsider were to try to access the system, it would be paused or shut down for 60 days.

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