President-elect Donald Trump might find it difficult to carry out his plans for mass deportations in Washington state and Seattle due to the laws they have in place, which limit law enforcement's ability to help with federal immigration enforcement.
Passed in 2019, the Keep Washington Working Act restricts local police from assisting federal authorities with immigration enforcement. Under the state law, the police cannot arrest people based on civil immigration warrants and are not permitted to ask about someone's immigration status in non-criminal cases. It also restricts information sharing between state, local, and federal agencies.
Seattle, which follows the state law, has had its own rules since 2003, preventing the police from asking about a person's immigration status, Axios reported.
According to the New York Times, Trump would likely need local law enforcement's cooperation to deport everyone living in the U.S. illegally, but the restrictions in Seattle and Washington state could stand in the way.
Immigration advocates in Washington are calling on state officials to protect and strengthen sanctuary laws, as Trump prepares to take office, as concerns rise about large-scale deportations and detention of immigrants.
Washington officials estimate that over 300,000 undocumented immigrants live in the state.
Local law enforcement, including police and sheriffs, are generally not eager to participate in federal immigration enforcement. For example, the sheriff of Kittitas County said that immigration status does not influence criminal investigations or enforcement actions.
State officials in Washington have said they were ready to take legal action if the Trump administration followed through on threats to cut funding to sanctuary states and cities.
A spokesperson for governor-elect Bob Ferguson, Bayley Burgess, indicated that they were prepared to challenge any funding cuts they view as illegal or politically motivated.
A spokesperson for Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, Callie Craighead also emphasized that constitutional protections limit the federal government's ability to withhold funds from cities.
Last month, it was reported that Trump was planning to remove a long-standing policy that stops Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from arresting undocumented individuals from sensitive places like churches, schools, hospitals, and events like funerals, weddings and public protests.
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