Seattle Public Library Tells Workers "Do Not Interfere" With ICE Raids

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Earlier this month, the Seattle Public Library (SPL) sent their staff updated guidance, created in partnership with the Mayor's Office and Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA), on how to interact with Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) at work, as originally reported by Richard Silverstein. As the Trump administration ramps up their raids, SPL instructed library workers not to interfere with the injustice and even cautioned against filming it. While library spokesperson says the guidance is not unique to the library, the directive left some library workers "extremely disappointed" to see the library prematurely capitulate to fascism.

"Ever since Trump got elected, our patrons have asked if the library will be a safe place," one library worker told The Burner. "It sucks to have to give a wishy-washy answer now."

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The Burner originally cross posted Silverstein's story, but after hearing feedback about the lack of documents in the story, I have removed the post. I apologize for any confusion and I commit to learning from this experience. But workers sent The Burner their own copies of the memos, compelled to make the guidance public. The April 18 directive links out to a document titled "Protocols For Immigration Enforcement: Compliance And Readiness at the Seattle Public Library."

The document lays it out simply. Under the heading "WHAT TO DO," SPL instructs workers to "[p]lease take the following steps if you see an immigration enforcement action occur in a public area at the Library: Do NOT interfere with immigration enforcement in public areas."

Instead, workers are to immediately contact their on-site supervisor who will initiate the SPL Crisis Notification Plan, taking the concern up a chain of command.

Then, if it wasn't already clear, under a second heading "WHAT NOT TO DO," SPL writes, "if immigration enforcement is happening in a public area: DO NOT interfere."

However, in the email directive, SPL told workers not to authorize law enforcement in non-public areas. As many of us probably know from our own workplace trainings, ICE can enter public areas without a warrant: Think library lobbies, hallways, and reading rooms. But private areas — like staff rooms, offices, and any space behind a door marked “employees only” — are legally off-limits without a judicial warrant or explicit permission.

SPL also instructed workers to document "enforcement activities" and report it using SPL's new Incident Reporting Form. However, the April 18 memo tells workers not to film or photograph enforcement activity with city-issued devices. This line ruffled some feathers on staff and Chief Librarian Tom Fay sent a follow-up email to clarify that the guidance "does not intend to strip Library staff of their citizen right to film law enforcement." Rather, SPL intended the guidance to "be protective" to staff as filming could be considered a "hinderance" to ICE's abductions. Ultimately, Fey said that workers could film on a personal device at their own risk, but in five bullet points tried to scare them out of it. Silverstein makes a compelling case to support filming arrests in his original story.

The guidance stunned some library workers who personally reject ICE’s brutal deportation machine, particularly given Seattle's purported commitment to protect immigrants.

"SPL should be doing everything they can to make it more difficult for ICE to reach our patrons," one worker told The Burner. "This feels like giving up."

SPL could offer more oppositional, and frankly more complete, guidance to their workers without demanding that they go fist to cuffs with ICE. Rather than mandating a passive role, SPL could explicitly instruct staff to refuse to help ICE locate fellow library workers or sort patrons by their immigration status, as the National Immigration Law Center advises.

SPL spokesperson Laura Gentry told The Burner that the content of the memo is "primarily from materials provided in a citywide training in February, which was organized by OIRA. The Library organized the information for staff for easy reference in a potentially stressful moment."

Gentry said SPL has corrected its stance on filming ICE with City-issued devices. She said, "That appears to be a misunderstanding that occurred during the training and was not issued as official City guidance."

The Mayor's office and OIRA did not respond to my request for comment.

This story has been updated to include comment from Seattle Public Library.

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