Seattle spending millions to aid illegal immigrants as ICE arrests increase

A $4 million Seattle program is continuing to help illegal immigrants as the Trump administration ramps up its crackdown on those in the U.S. without authorization, said Oksana Bilobran, interim director of Seattle’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs.Bilobran told the City Council’s Libraries, Education and Neighborhoods Committee Wednesday that immigration arrests had reached an all-time high of close to 50 a month in July and August.
Statistics presented to the committee show the number was around 30 a day earlier in the year.
In total, she said, there were 477 arrests between January and June.
“And this has a huge impact on our community, as these people are not only our neighbors; they are business owners, the children go to our schools,” she said. “They are workers, they work for Seattle employees, and so this has a huge impact not only on those people, but everyone around them and the city as a whole.”
The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs has a budget of around $10 million, including the $4 million approved last year by former Mayor Bruce Harrell to help migrants affected by ICE enforcement actions.
She said the biggest chunk of money, around $2.4 million, goes to legal defense for immigrants detained by ICE.
Other programs administered by partner agencies include English classes for immigrants, programs that educate migrants on their legal rights and initiatives that provide aid for those arrested, including providing money to retrieve their towed cars.
She said more than a dozen community agencies are receiving money from the city.
Bilobran said the arrests are occurring throughout Seattle.
Seattle is one of a number of liberal cities that help immigrants subject to enforcement action by federal immigration agents, an action that conservative groups say is overreach.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials did not respond to requests for comment from the Center Square, but are critical of interventions by cities like Seattle.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has insisted that the city welcomes all groups of people and that helping immigrants targeted by ICE is the right thing to do. She highlighted the funding in the spring.
Bilobran said the upticks in arrests started occurring in the spring.
“We see them on highways and city streets, in parking lots and local businesses,” she said.
Bilobran said a substantial number of those arrested involve individuals without criminal convictions or criminal records.
She highlighted what she called a unique initiative in which city officials conduct mock ICE enforcement raids to test how well partner agencies know their legal rights and can stand up to enforcement actions.

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