An assembly of Sound Alliance members and their allies will meet with King County Council Vice Chair Jane Hague at 7 p.m. tonight at Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church, 308 Fourth Ave. S., in Kirkland.
They will present their arguments for an immigration-related ordinance coming before the council, and ask Hague for her commitment to vote for it. Sound Alliance hopes to hear Hague announce that she will support the King County Trust Ordinance.
The ordinance, which is supported by council Chair Larry Gossett, would regulate King County law enforcement’s response to Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests.
These non-mandatory requests cause King County jails to detain immigrants at county expense for up to two days after their release date so that ICE can pick them up for detention in the NW Detention Center in Tacoma and subsequent deportation.
During the event, an immigrant survivor of domestic violence will be sharing her story in Spanish, with an interpreter.
In hosting this event, Northlake Universalist Unitarian Church of Kirkland www.northlakeuu.org parallels federal level immigration reform. Northlake Church is a member of Sound Alliance. Its social justice mission aligns with the alliance’s vision to create organized power for the common good.
A recent University of Washington study indicates that the King County Trust Ordinance will save King County approximately $1.8 million per year now spent on ICE detentions. Current King County practice extends the time in jail for individuals subject to an ICE detainer by an average of nearly 30 days (60 days if charged with a felony).
Current policy disproportionately impacts Latinos – more than one-fourth of Hispanics booked into King County jail were transferred to ICE upon release, according to a recent report by the Northwest Defenders Association. Nearly two-thirds of people flagged by ICE were not charged with a felony offense when booked into jail, the report continues.
Approximately one in eight were not charged with any crime before being handed over to ICE custody.
Given that local jurisdictions have the authority to determine their policies for honoring ICE detainer requests, the King County Trust Ordinance will honor ICE detainer requests for those convicted of serious crimes, but not for those convicted of minor offenses or cleared of charges.
The ordinance is also intended to rebuild trust between local law enforcement and the community. Many county residents are subject to racial profiling and the threat of deportation to the point that they are afraid to report domestic violence or any witnessed crime, according to Sound Alliance.
It costs the community in dollars and suffering when families become broken and dependent as the breadwinner is detained or deported. Children who are English-speaking U.S. citizens of an undocumented parent are uniquely vulnerable.
Sound Alliance is a broad-based community organization made up of 29 faith, labor, education, and community non-profit organizations who have joined forces to work for the common good and develop local leaders.
The alliance has won recent victories in the areas of sustainable jobs and the environment, housing, health care, and immigrant and civil rights.
