OLYMPIA—Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, joined by Senator Rebecca Saldaña (D-Seattle) and Representative Lillian Ortiz-Self (D-Mukilteo), announced on Friday, December 5, proposed legislation titled the Immigrant Worker Protection Act that aims to shield immigrant workers from fear and intimidation caused by federal immigration enforcement actions and to strengthen workplace protections in the state.
“When workers are scared that ICE will show up at their job at any moment to take anyone that looks like an immigrant, they’re less likely to speak out against wage theft or other abuses,” AG Brown said who committed to remaining steadfast to an “open and inclusive environment,” adding that the Immigrant Worker Protection Act would “level the playing field” for workers facing federal intimidation.
The proposed legislation would:
- Require employers notify employees with 72 hours when the federal government has requested their employment eligibility information such as I-9 documents.
- Prohibiting employers from voluntarily releasing workers’ private records without a subpoena or warrant.
- Make sure employers follow the law and only share employees’ personal data when a subpoena or judicial warrant has been issued.
Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self (D-Mukilteo), chair of the Washington State Latino Legislative Caucus, describes the Immigrant Worker Protection Act as a straightforward affirmation of the state’s core values of fairness, inclusion, and family unity.
“Every person who contributes to our state deserves dignity, respect, and protection,” Ortiz-Self said adding that undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes nationwide in 2022. “Washington is a state that believes in fairness, inclusion, and keeping families whole. And this legislation puts those values into action.”
She warned that the recent surges in federal I-9 audits and workplace enforcement actions—such as ICE raid at Mount Baker Roofing— are “sowing fear, destabilizing families and undermining community trust,” while creating labor shortages in critical economic sectors such as agriculture, construction, hospitality, transportation, and warehousing.
State Senator Rebecca Saldaña (D-Seattle), shared that the Immigrant Worker Protection Act provides clarity and reassurance to both immigrant workers and the small-business owners who employ them.
“It’s not just the workers that are afraid. It’s the employers that are afraid,” Saldaña said. “It’s our restaurant owners and our car dealerships and the auto repair shop. It is about our grocery stores… Their workers are their neighbors. They’re their friends. They are the ones they go to the soccer games with. And they don’t know what their rights are as employers.”
AG Brown addressed concerns about the proposed
The Immigrant Worker Protection Act, Brown told the Lynnwood Times, includes standard enforcement mechanisms against employers to protect workers.
“There are penalties associated with failure to follow the law, which is pretty similar to many laws in Washington state,” Brown said. “If you don’t follow worker protection issues, there can be consequences of that. So that’s how I view the impact on employers.”
He framed the bill as protective of employers rather than punitive, telling the Lynnwood Times that aggressive federal I-9 audits have repeatedly disrupted workplaces.
“We view this bill as a bill that also protects employers, that is good for businesses, that strengthens their opportunity to partner with their workforce,” Brown stated. “We’ve seen so many businesses—not only in this year but in years past—disrupted by really aggressive I-9 audits at their workplaces, so we want to make sure that businesses benefit from this bill as well.”
Two White Center entrepreneurs, Ana Castro of Salvadorian Bakery and Jesica Lopez of a Oaxaca grocery store and gift shop, shared that the current climate of fear because of ICE enforcement is not only harming workers and families, but also negatively impacting local commerce.
“As a small business owner, I want my employees to feel safe coming to work,” Castro said. “I will obey all federal law, but my employees deserve to know when their privacy is, their information is being shared. These laws give businesses owners guidance and answers about what to do when the federal immigration informants come to their businesses.”
“We don’t have enough customers…. It doesn’t matter if they have their legal status, they’re scared to go out because they are afraid to be snatched from the ICE and law enforcement,” Lopez said.
Author: Mario Lotmore
