Strong county and local immigration policies needed

Thank you for your editorial calling for Thurston County to reject federal grants that reference Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cooperation .

We have seen ICE “No Tolerance” policies expand this summer separating families and putting parents in jails in one state and children in another. Some even came to legally apply for asylum for fear of their lives in their homeland. Long time productive members of our communities with mixed family status have also been arrested and put into deportation procedures leaving dependents to fend for themselves. It is essential that state and all local governments not partner with ICE in any way in these federal policies. Family separation is not who we are as community or as Americans.

In December 2016 our previous Thurston County Commission responded to fear in the immigrant community with an immigrant welcoming resolution 15392. Unfortunately in April 2017 that resolution was repealed by our new commission and new resolution adopted with the term “immigrant” removed.

Do not our recent experiences show us the 2016 Immigrant Welcoming Resolution needs to be re-instated? Does it not show us the jail ordinance 15378 needs to be revised to prohibit County jail collecting citizenship or country of origin information when booking so they are inadvertently cooperating with ICE family separations?

It is imperative now that Thurston County and all local jurisdictions affirm the dignity and import of immigrants living in our communities and develop policies to not partner with federal immigrant family separation policies.