Seattle committee hears OIRA briefing as city expands immigrant services amid heightened enforcement
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Summary
On Jan. 28, 2026 the Seattle City Council's Libraries, Education and Neighborhoods Committee heard an update from the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs on expanded programs, a $4 million ongoing budget increase and a rapid‑response effort funded by a $300,000 midyear supplement to help residents facing increased federal enforcement and cancelations of immigration appointments.
On Jan. 28, 2026, the Seattle City Council's Library, Education and Neighborhoods Committee heard a briefing from the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) on programs to support immigrant and refugee residents amid increased federal enforcement and recent disruptions to immigration processing.
Interim Director Bridal Sheikh told the committee that OIRA’s “mission is long term, which is to improve the lives of Seattle's immigrant and refugee communities” while the office remains nimble when national policy shifts. Sheikh said the 2026 adopted budget includes a $4,000,000 increase made ongoing by the council and that OIRA operates with 15 full‑time equivalent staff, supported primarily by the general fund with some payroll expense tax and grants.
The presentation reviewed major programs and near‑term responses. Sheikh described the Legal Defense Network, a contracted network of outside legal partners that in 2024 provided limited services to 295 people, helped 82 people secure work authorization, filed 148 relief requests and attended 38 hearings. Sheikh said OIRA directly funds a legal team through contracts with three partner organizations at approximately $1,300,000 annually; those partners also receive county and state funding.
Sheikh and Communications Advisor Asmi Haroun outlined the office’s citizenship work (OIRA said the program supported more than 1,000 community members in 2024 and filed about 700 citizenship applications that year) and the Ready to Work job‑readiness program, which serves roughly 1,000 adult learners annually and — OIRA reported — found 86% of participants placed in jobs were still employed 90 days after course completion. OIRA said its language‑access work prioritizes 18 languages, spent about $1.2–$1.3 million annually on translation and interpretation, handled more than 25,000 interpretation calls in 2025 and trained over 270 city staff.
Sheikh described the Immigrant Safety and Access Network (ESAN), created in response to an executive order directing coordinated crisis support, and explained the city’s role in a state pilot called the Washington Migrant and Asylum Seeker Support (WAMAS) project, for which the city serves as an emergency‑housing spoke providing short‑term, 30‑day shelter; Sheikh said OIRA has served 175 people through that sheltering work to date.
Sheikh and Haroun also reviewed the rapid response program OIRA stood up in 2025 by repurposing $240,000 and then receiving a $300,000 midyear supplemental appropriation from council. That rapid response funding was split across community education (know‑your‑rights and policy sessions), limited legal consultations (family safety planning and flexible legal consults) and advocacy/coordination to align city and partner responses. OIRA said the limited legal consultations yielded several hundred hours of assistance in the program’s early months.
Committee members pressed OIRA on scale and capacity. Council member Lynn asked how OIRA’s funding differs from outside partners and where partner revenue comes from; Sheikh said OIRA contracts with partner organizations and confirmed the annual $1.3 million figure for the funded legal team. Council member Foster and others described anecdotal reports of substantial increases in call volume to community hotlines and asked whether more resources and staffing are needed; OIRA said demand has increased and the office will reassess allocations and staffing as contracts come up for renewal.
Several members raised concerns about community fear and the impacts on children and schools after widely circulated but unverified reports of ICE presence near schools. Council members and OIRA said they coordinate with Seattle Public Schools, the mayor’s office, the county and the state and that the city attorney’s office and Seattle Police Department participate in targeted info sessions so residents know reporting procedures. Council member Rink offered an acronym — SALUTE (size, activity, location, uniform, time, equipment) — to help residents provide useful details to hotlines when reporting suspected enforcement activity.
OIRA cited partner‑verified monitoring through a deportation‑defense hotline and advocacy networks showing increased arrests and verified ICE activity statewide since January 2025; the office cautioned that partner data are not full citywide counts but are used to understand trends and community impacts. OIRA also said many cancellations of citizenship appointments were reported to partners between December and January, which heightened fear and prompted outreach to USCIS and public comment filings.
Chair Rivera and committee members asked OIRA to continue follow‑up with more precise partner data and to provide the committee with a fuller commission report by May. Sheikh said she anticipates the immigrant and refugee commission will be active by the May report date and offered to follow up with a timeline for appointments. OIRA closed by thanking the committee and saying it will continue to coordinate with the mayor’s office and other city departments on operational and policy responses.
The committee did not take formal votes; members directed OIRA to return with additional data and the office’s recommendations on local actions that are within the city’s authority. The meeting adjourned at 11:11 a.m.
