In a message to residents on Friday, Mukilteo Police Chief Andy Illyn shared that the Keep Washington Working Act prevents law enforcement from assisting in immigration enforcement.
Below is his community message in its entirety:
In light of the recent DOJ memo concerning local law enforcement cooperation with immigration enforcement, I want to reassure our community that our priority remains your safety. We are dedicated to building trust within our city while aggressively pursuing those who threaten our community.
We have sought legal opinions on the potential impacts of the DOJ memo. However, please note that the Keep Washington Working Act (KWW), which was enacted in 2019, is still in effect.
The KWW prevents local law enforcement from:
- Assisting with civil immigration enforcement
- Inquiring about immigration status unless necessary for a criminal investigation
- Sharing non-public personal information with federal immigration authorities
We appreciate your patience during this transition period. Your trust is crucial to us, and we will continue to ensure our policies reflect our unwavering commitment to community safety.
KWW is a law passed by the Washington State Legislature in 2019 that establishes “a statewide policy supporting Washington State’s economy and immigrants’ role in the workplace.”
In passing KWW, the Legislature determined that it is not state or local law enforcement’s primary purpose to enforce civil federal immigration law. Additionally, the Legislature determined that a person’s immigration status, presence in the country, or employment alone is not a matter for police action—reinforcing that the federal government bears the primary jurisdiction to enforce federal immigration law. Importantly, KWW places no restriction on local agencies’ ability to enforce state and local law.
KWW prohibits local LEAs from providing federal immigration authorities with information regarding a person’s release date and time prior to their release from local custody based on “notification requests,” such as I-247 forms, for the purposes of civil immigration enforcement, except as required by law.
Author: Mario Lotmore
