Mayor Katie Wilson Orders Cops To Investigate, Document, Verify ICE

With mounting pressure for the City to proactively safeguard Seattle from a potential ICE crackdown, newly elected Mayor Katie Wilson sent a press release Thursday afternoon detailing initial steps to protect Seattleites. Compared to first steps taken on the state level, Wilson’s list of actions read much more concrete — in the most eye-catching actions, she’s ordering cops to verify and document ICE activity and prohibiting the feds from using City-owned and controlled property for immigration enforcement activities.

“Whoever you are, and wherever you come from: if Seattle is your home, then this is your city,” Wilson said in the press release. “And it’s our responsibility as city leaders to move quickly and get organized so we can keep people safe.”

 But advocates were quick to notice their chief demand missing: Turn the damn cameras off. 

The Burner followed up with Wilson’s office on this demand as she has failed to commit to pause the Harrell-era expansion twice now despite vocal opposition during her campaign. 

“The mayor shares community concerns about the potential for federal agents to abuse surveillance technology,” said her spokesperson Sage Wilson (no relation). “You can expect to hear more from her next week on this topic.”

The Burner will continue to bug Wilson about this. For now, here’s how the CIty of Seattle is batoning down the hatches for ICE. 

In perhaps her most interesting action, Wilson announced she will require the Seattle Police Department to investigate, verify, and document any reports of immigration enforcement activity. And if the cops get dispatched to such activity, they must document it with their body cams, validate that the chud is actually an official federal agent, and secure scenes for potentially unlawful acts. 

This is still not a call for the cops to intervene however. I asked Wilson’s office if the public should read “secure scene” to mean arrest ICE agents for unlawful behavior, but her office clarified the order is about “gathering evidence.” Earlier this month, Chief of Police Shon Barnes sent a directive to Seattle cops, reminding them to “not assist or participate” in immigration enforcement, but also to “not intervene,” according to the Seattle Times. 

This is an area where the State government may be more adventurous. In a press conference earlier this week, Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown claimed it was local law enforcement’s “duty” to intervene with ICE’s unlawful searches, assaults, and other behaviors. 

Wilson also pledged to issue an executive order to immediately prohibit federal agents from using City-owned or controlled property for immigration enforcement purposes. According to her press release, this includes parks, parking lots, plaza, vacant lots, storage facilities, garages, and the Seattle Center.

Not to be a downer, but this action screams of the well-meaning but unenforceable proposals many localities have put forward in the last few months. As we’ve seen with laws to ban ICE from wearing masks, the Supremacy Clause in the U.S. constitution dictates that the federal government overrides local authority when they have conflicting regulations. I asked Wilson’s Office how they planned to enforce this executive order and they did not respond. 

In addition, Wilson also promised strong collaboration with community groups, a public initiative inviting private property owners to post notices that federal agents cannot enter without a warrant, and speedy deliver of the $4 million the City Council approved for immigrant legal defense and community support in the last budget negotiations.