Seattle considers ban on sharing ‘sensitive data’ with federal immigration authorities

The Seattle City Council will vote Tuesday afternoon on legislation aimed to restrict sharing of information and “sensitive data” with with federal immigration enforcement authorities.

The bill approved by the council’s public safety committee would repeal a section of the Seattle Municipal Code added in 1986 that directs officers and employees to “cooperate with […] enforcement of federal immigration laws.”

The bill from Councilmember Maritza Rivera would also “explicitly prohibit City employees from sharing non-public information for use in the enforcement of civil immigration laws, in the absence of a judicial warrant.”

If approved, the legislation would join local efforts to buffer against the federal crackdown and aggressive ICE activity.

Mayor Katie Wilson issued an executive order last month directing the Seattle Police Department to “investigate, verify, and document” federal immigration enforcement activities in Seattle.

Wilson’s latest executive order applies to non-criminal federal immigration enforcement activity only, barring agents from “parks, parking lots, plazas, vacant lots, storage facilities, garages, and the Seattle Center.”

Tuesday’s council vote will follow Wilson’s first “State of the City” address slated to take place at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute at 17th and Yesler.

$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE

Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you. Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for $5 a month — or choose your level of support