Responding to Increased Federal Immigration Enforcement

1. Create a policy in consultation with legal advisors and community members directing deputies to intervene when they observe federal law enforcement agents engaging in unlawful excessive force. 
2. Continue to expand outreach to meet community needs, improve accessibility, and answer questions about immigration enforcement practices.
3. Complete and publish audits of technology and data software contracts to ensure policy compliance and share contract details with OLEO.
4. Partner with immigrant service networks to create a protocol for moving abandoned vehicles from roads to avoid the harms associated with towing and impounding when there are verified reports that a federal immigration enforcement agency has detained the driver.
5. Track and regularly publish readily available information on federal immigration enforcement activity in King County without increasing communication with federal immigration authorities.
6. Clarify the responsibilities of supervisors and require additional deputies to be present when responding to federal immigration enforcement activities to ensure full documentation of incidents.
7. Remove the term "criminal immigration enforcement" from Sheriff's Office policy and replace it with language that better captures the circumstances where the Sheriff's Office may engage with federal law enforcement agencies.

• A majority of the people who took OLEO's survey on immigration matters (56%) reported that fears of immigration enforcement have impacted school attendance, healthcare access, and other activities in their communities.
• Fears around immigration enforcement are impacting people's relationships with local law enforcement in concerning ways, with 41% of survey respondents indicating they are less willing to call the police for help, 37% being less willing to report a crime, and a vast majority (70%) feeling more worried about racial profiling by law enforcement.
• While the Sheriff's Office published an overview of their immigration-related policy and answered Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on its website, survey participants want the Sheriff's Office to do more to engage with the community on immigration issues to build trust and improve effective communication with the public.
• OLEO recommends that the Sheriff's Office strengthen its current response to federal immigration enforcement activity to better protect the public by collaborating with community advocates to adopt practices of intervention when deputies observe a federal law enforcement agent using excessive force and when federal immigration enforcement agents leave vehicles abandoned after detaining a driver. 

Of the seven recommendations:

ADOPTED: 0

Recommendations have been fully implemented. OLEO will no longer monitor. 

PARTIALLY ADOPTED: 0

Recommendations are in progress or partially implemented. OLEO will continue to monitor.

NOT ADOPTED: 7 

Recommendations remain unresolved. OLEO will continue to monitor.

CLOSED: 0

Recommendation is no longer applicable. OLEO will no longer monitor.

Northwest Immigration Rights Project - Know Your Rights 

• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) is a non-profit organization that provides legal services, community education, and advocacy to defend and advance the rights of immigrants. NWIRP has compiled several resources to help community members understand their rights when interacting with law enforcement officials and officers.

Washington State Office of the Attorney General - Know Your Rights

• The Attorney General's Office has created guidance and informational resources for understanding the limits on federal immigration enforcement power and the rights you have when interacting with immigration enforcement officers.

Refugee Women's Alliance

• Refugees Women's Alliance provides support to refugees and immigrants navigating the naturalization process, including fee waivers and medical disability waivers.

Asian Counseling & Referral Service

• Asian Counseling & Referral Service provides support services for navigating the naturalization process, including language classes and application assistance

Washington Immigration Solidarity Network (WAISN)

• WAISN is an immigrant justice network that operates a Deportation Defense Hotline, a Rapid Response network to support immigrant families, a community-sources bond fund supporting the release of people from immigration detention, and an accompaniment program to ensure no one has to attend legal or administrative appointments alone. 

El Centro de la Raza

• El Centro de la Raza is an advocacy and service organization that provides various services and programming for workforce development, children and families, housing, benefit and resource navigation, and more. 

Eastside Safe Haven

• Safe Haven is an informal coalition of 160+ individuals and 35+ organizations that gathers to share immigration and detention-related resource.