SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane City Council adopted the Immigration Enforcement Free Zones ordinance with a 6-1 vote during Monday’s legislative session.
This ordinance prohibits staging and surveillance by immigration enforcement on city-owned property and parking lots without a judicial warrant.
The city says the ordinance will require city departments to identify all relevant properties and display signs indicating that they may not be used for immigration enforcement.
“As members of the Spokane City Council, we have a duty to draw a clear line,” said Public Safety and Community Health Committee Chair, Council Member Kate Telis. “City property cannot be used for warrantless immigration enforcement — period. A judicial warrant is required. At a time of escalating federal overreach, we must stand firmly for constitutional rights and due process. Spokane will not allow fear or unconstitutional deportations to erode the safety and trust of our community. This ordinance is about clarity, accountability, and protecting the people we serve.”
“As the federal administration continues to stoke fear in communities across the country, it is vital that we make it very clear what we won’t tolerate in our city,” said Council Member Sarah Dixit. “It is our responsibility to ensure that Spokane is not complicit in passive compliance with immigration enforcement, and that we are using every lever we have to protect our neighbors no matter their immigration status.”
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