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Public speakers urge Bellevue to make one‑year detention‑center moratorium permanent
Summary
At a required public hearing on ordinance 6926, community organizers and residents urged the council to convert a one‑year moratorium on detention‑center siting into a permanent ban and to include affected communities in drafting any long‑term code changes.
Mayor called a public hearing required by the Growth Management Act after the council adopted ordinance 6926 in June, which imposes a one‑year moratorium on acceptance or processing of land‑use applications for detention‑center uses in Bellevue.
Guillermo Rivera, a community organizer with dSite for All, thanked the council for passing the moratorium and described recent local immigration enforcement activity. "Yesterday around 7AM, we received a report that ICE agents were near Walmart and Hopelink," Rivera said, recounting that a husband and wife were detained outside their car while children witnessed the scene. He asked the council to "make Bellevue ban detention centers permanent" and urged staff to include communities most directly affected by immigration enforcement in drafting any permanent policy.
Heather Kelly also urged the council to move promptly. "By making this ban permanent and closing every remaining loophole, Bellevue can send an unmistakable message that detention facilities have no place in our community," she said, adding that the city must ensure it is never complicit in conditions that "detain people in cruel and inhumane conditions."
City staff (Code & Policy Director Nick Whipple and City Attorney staff Matt McFarland) explained the ordinance scope: the moratorium pauses acceptance and processing of detention‑center land‑use applications for one year to allow the city to review code gaps, evaluate mitigation needs for high‑occupancy uses, and propose zoning or policy amendments. Staff told council that if the work is not complete before the moratorium expires (one year after the June 9 adoption), an additional public hearing would be required to consider an extension.
Deputy Mayor Mary Hamilton moved to open the public hearing and later moved to close it after preregistered and public testimony concluded; both motions carried.
Next steps: staff will carry out the work plan to identify regulatory and policy options, coordinate review with planned legislative initiatives, and report back to council with proposed code or policy amendments for consideration.
