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Spokane council weighs "Safe and Welcome" ordinance after large, heated public testimony
Summary
At a Spokane City Council meeting, council members took up an emergency ordinance titled “Safe and Welcome in Spokane” that would expand local protections against warrantless searches by federal immigration authorities and limit enforcement in designated "non‑public" areas and public rights of way.
At a Spokane City Council meeting, council members took up an emergency ordinance titled “Safe and Welcome in Spokane” that would expand local protections against warrantless searches by federal immigration authorities and limit enforcement in designated "non‑public" areas and public rights of way. The ordinance drew extended public testimony and lengthy council debate.
Supporters told the council the measure is needed now to stop what they described as aggressive, opaque immigration enforcement locally and regionally. Jennifer Mesa, executive director of Latinos in Spokane, said the community has seen “surveillance coming in from different agents, from US marshal to ICE to border patrol” and accused enforcement of racial profiling that leaves families fearful. “We deserve safety,” Mesa said.
The ordinance's supporters framed it as a defense of constitutional due process and community safety. Will…
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