Snoqualmie and North Bend joint statement affirms local noncooperation with federal immigration enforcement
Loading...
Summary
At a Feb. 2 Snoqualmie Public Safety Committee meeting the chair read a Jan. 27 joint statement from the cities of North Bend and Snoqualmie and the Snoqualmie Police Department saying local officers will not assist ICE or ask about residents' immigration status; staff will return with legal analysis and a proposed consent placement.
Snoqualmie Public Safety Committee Chair Rob Wotton read into the record on Feb. 2 a Jan. 27 joint statement from the cities of North Bend and Snoqualmie and the Snoqualmie Police Department saying the cities and police are "committed to serving and protecting all members of our community regardless of immigration status." The statement, included in the meeting packet at the committee's request, says local officers are prohibited from assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or asking about a person's immigration status.
The council placed the statement on the consent agenda for a future council meeting and asked staff to return with follow‑up information. Council member Catherine Cotton asked whether the paper was intended only for information or for formal endorsement; Chair Wotton said the motion to add the statement to the meeting materials was “in support of the mayor’s statement” and proposed adding it to the consent agenda rather than moving an immediate council endorsement.
City staff told the committee the statement was issued as a press release and posted on the police department website. Staff also said North Bend circulated a slightly different version; staff are reviewing recorded public comments from a prior meeting, collecting requests from residents and working through the legal implications. Staff said they would return with a summary of community requests and recommendations once legal review is complete.
Committee members acknowledged legal limits on local authority and the need for careful review. One staff member told the committee certain requests raised “fairly complex legal implications” and suggested those issues might be more appropriate for executive‑session review with the city attorney. Chair Wotton said the council intends to reaffirm the mayors' position and indicated staff would prepare the item for placement on the consent agenda at a future meeting.
The next procedural step requested by the committee is that staff prepare a summary of public requests and legal options and place the joint statement on the consent agenda for the full council to consider at an upcoming meeting.
