Seattle residents urge City Council to end cooperation with ICE, ban surveillance and issue municipal IDs

Dozens of residents used the Seattle City Council public-comment period on Jan. 13 to demand the city end cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, remove surveillance systems they say aid federal tracking, and create municipal identification cards to protect immigrant residents.

Speakers representing groups such as Workers' Strike Back and the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression repeatedly called on Mayor Katie Wilson and the council to “stop all collaboration with ICE, period,” and to back immediate, concrete steps including municipal IDs and bans on sharing surveillance data. "Mayor Wilson and the city council could declare today that the city of Seattle is stopping all collaboration with ICE, period," said Justin, a Queen Anne resident and a member of Workers' Strike Back.

The demand for action was driven in part by recent incidents cited by speakers, including the alleged killing of activist Renee Goode in Minneapolis and reports of kidnappings and aggressive arrests. Rose, a speaker calling in from the International District, urged the council to ban Flock cameras and third-party location-data sales, saying those tools have reportedly been used to track people across Washington state.

Speakers also criticized national elected officials and private vendors. Several commenters accused members of Congress of supporting the creation or funding of ICE and raised concerns about companies such as Palantir providing technology used in immigration enforcement. Those claims were presented by commenters as part of political arguments; council members did not adjudicate or confirm the factual claims during the meeting.

Council President Joy Hollingsworth responded to requests for a meeting and said she read the group’s letter and would meet with representatives after the meeting in the Sam Smith Room to discuss next steps. "I'm more than happy to meet with anyone at any time," Hollingsworth said. Following a tense exchange between speakers and the dais, Hollingsworth called a 10-minute recess to allow tempers to cool before resuming council business.

What speakers asked for - Immediate non-cooperation with ICE by city departments; - A formal city ban on sharing surveillance data with federal immigration authorities and removal of particular camera systems from public use; - Creation of municipal identification cards so immigrants can access services without fear of immigration enforcement; - Public endorsement of an open letter and a commitment to meet to discuss concrete actions.

Council response and next steps Hollingsworth invited representatives to meet in the Sam Smith Room after the meeting and said staff would arrange follow-up; she pledged to listen and to work with community members on next steps. The meeting later recessed for 10 minutes amid repeated chants and heated back-and-forth between public commenters and council staff.

The demands raised during public comment were presented as urgent requests and political claims by community organizers and residents; no formal council vote on the specific requests occurred during the meeting. Several speakers said they had emailed the council with demands and sought signatures on a shared letter; Jonathan, branch chair of the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression, said only one council member had replied to that email before the meeting.

The council proceeded later in the agenda to carry out procedural business, including adopting the consent calendar and advancing a land-use item (see separate article on votes and legislation). The public commenters’ demands were recorded as part of the public record and several council members agreed to meet with organizers to discuss the requests.