Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Policing Immigration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Local residents press Milton for public policy on ICE cooperation; police chief says department follows state law
Summary
Three residents urged Milton to state limits on local cooperation with ICE and to protect city data; Police Chief Hernandez said the department follows the 2019 Keep Washington Working Act and will publish a clear statement and resource links.
Three Milton residents used the public‑comment period on March 2 to press the city and police for an explicit public policy limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and to demand protections for locally collected data.
"I also urge the local police to limit their cooperation with immigration enforcement and assistance in raids in accordance with the 2019 Keep Washington Working Act," Kaylee Hope said, requesting a public plan and assurances that license‑plate data and traffic camera footage would not be shared with federal immigration authorities.
Kathy Kennedy said the absence of a clear public facing policy "becomes a statement" and urged the council to be transparent: "If the city's practices are consistent with community policing principles, then putting them out there as a forward‑facing strategy only strengthens trust in our community."
Rebecca Shoenfeld (founder, Indivisible EMF; local educator) cited reporting and public data, saying Washington state saw a large increase in immigration arrests and asked Milton to adopt specific prohibitions such as refusing to provide city property or contracts for ICE operations, requiring judicial warrants for cooperation, and protecting speed‑camera and license‑plate data.
Police Chief Hernandez responded later in the meeting, acknowledging community concern and saying the department already follows the Keep Washington Working Act and will post a clear statement and resource links on the city’s website. "I want everybody in our community ... to know how our police department stands," the chief said. He also told council he confirmed Milton’s camera system is a closed‑loop system and that its data is not shared with federal authorities.
Why it matters: Residents said a lack of clear, public rules creates fear and discourages reporting of crimes among immigrant and mixed‑status families. The chief’s commitment to publish a statement and provide resource links is a near‑term response; any formal policy or ordinance change would require further council action.
Next step: Chief Hernandez said he will provide a public statement and links to community resources and the department will collaborate with the mayor’s office on additional messaging. Residents asked the council to consider explicit policy statements limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
