Spokane City Council Passes Ordinance Limiting ICE Access To City Property
WILL IT WORK?
Washington State’s Democrat politicians who populate “The Coast,” (the corridor of power between Olympia, the state’s capital, north to the Canadian border, including Seattle), claim those mythical “white supremacists” roaming around the Spokane Area are dangerous. Note: Spokane is about 300 miles east of “The Coast.” So afraid of Spokane residents are these Progressive weenies that they chose Spokane County for the state’s unconstitutional “bias hotline” so that Spokaners’ civil rights are wiped out 18 months earlier than Americans living in the rest of the state. Thus, I am perplexed by recent events at the Spokane City Council.^
PROTECTING CRIMINAL FOREIGN NATIONALS
On Monday, August 25th, Spokane City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from entering certain areas of city property under specific circumstances, such as during weddings and block parties. The deceptively named “Safe and Welcome in Spokane” ordinance passed 5-2, with Councilmembers Cathcart and Bingle voting against it.
The ordinance is meant to prevent ICE searches at ticketed, private events held on city land. “This measure not only protects the rights of our residents but also ensures that non-public areas remain accessible without the fear of unwarranted immigration enforcement. It’s about standing together as a city and fostering an environment of trust and safety for all, and most importantly, reinforces that in Spokane, we all belong,” said Councilmember Paul Dillon.
According to a press release from the city, a similar ordinance was passed in 2018, but it only applied to city property, not ticketed events on public land. Those in favor of the ordinance argued that illegal aliens needed to be protected from possible arrest and deportation. “The reason why we support this ordinance is because at its core, this ordinance is about safety of the community and federal accountability,” said a representative of Nuestras Raíces (Our Roots), an NGO which uses Americans’ tax dollars to provide welfare benefits and to assist foreign nationals to avoid law enforcement in Spokane’s Latino community.
Those against the ordinance said local government should not interfere with federal law enforcement. “If you’re here illegally, you’re here illegally. We’ve got laws,” said one person against the ordinance during Monday night’s public comment period. “I don’t think you can get much clearer than the Chief of Police coming down here and saying this is unenforceable and it is going to create a false sense of security,” Councilmember Cathcart said.
The ordinance includes specific requirements for events to qualify for protection. Events must have clear signage and barriers, and the ordinance would only ban ICE from entering private ticketed events being held on city land. The ordinance would not limit ICE agents from entering public events.
Diane’s note: This appears to be more virtue signaling on the part of five of the seven council members because the “events” that are covered under this ordinance are very, very few. How often does the city rent city property for weddings, for example?
IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: WON’T WORK
The ordinance is still awaiting the mayor’s signature to take effect, but Immigration
The ordinance expands existing city law to protect non-public events held on city property, blocking warrantless entry by immigration agents. “If you have a warrant, they will be able to go into those events,” said Quiroga. “They’re trying to stop the random going into events without anyone knowing, without the ability of city officials to ask for this paperwork.”
City Council Spokesperson Lisa Gardner clarifies that festivals could qualify by selling tickets or putting up boundaries and signs designating it as non-public. But Quiroga says he doesn’t see any of this as a barrier to immigration arrests and believes the ordinance will come up against legal challenges.
“I don’t think this is a deterrent, really. I think it’s about following proper procedures to do what they need to do,” said Quiroga. “It’s not going to be set and forgot, right? It’s going to be challenged, even in a minute where something that’s happened, paperwork is missed, it’s going to be challenged whether this ordinance is even within the scope of city, state power,” said Quiroga.
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