SEATTLE — Before the upcoming legislative session, Republican state Senator Phil Fortunato announced plans to reintroduce a bill aimed at ending Washington’s Sanctuary State Law.
Fortunato explained that his bill isn’t about immigration, but about removing criminals who are in the country illegally. “This is a very simple bill to get bad people out of the country,” he said.
The 2019 Keep Washington Working Act was a key law that protected immigrant rights. It banned actions like immigration holds, which previously allowed people to be transferred from local jails to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) custody.
Fortunato’s bill would allow federal immigration authorities to work with local law enforcement again. He argues that it’s safer for ICE agents to arrest fugitives while they’re already in jail, rather than arresting them in the community, where there could be more people and risk.
Vanessa Reyes, policy manager for the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN), said bills like Fortunato’s are aimed at supporting the new administration’s immigration policies. She believes local police shouldn’t be involved in federal immigration enforcement.
Reyes also warned that bills like this create fear among immigrants, even those who are in the country legally.
Democratic Majority Leader Senator Jamie Pedersen, however, doubted the bill would succeed, saying it was unlikely to get far in the legislative session.