Jayapal Statement on Trump’s So-Called Sanctuary City List

SEATTLE, WA – U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s latest attempt to coerce states and localities to enforce their cruel immigration policies: 

“This is just the latest unlawful attempt by the Trump administration to coerce states and localities like Washington state into enforcing its chaotic and harmful immigration policies that kidnap and disappear U.S. citizens, mistakenly deport people with lawful status, and attempt to trample due process rights for everyone. States and localities across this country should not let themselves be bullied.

“In 2019, I was proud to see my home state of Washington pass the Keep Washington Working Act with bipartisan support. It is a commonsense law to ensure that local police remain focused on public safety rather than enforcing federal immigration law. 

“We know that when local police act as immigration agents, it destroys the trust police rely on to preserve public safety in communities and results in immigrants not reporting crime or feeling safe enough to help prosecute crime. Courts have ruled multiple times that states have the right to enact laws like the Keep Washington Working Act. This is just further unlawful overreach from an authoritarian administration.”

Issues: Immigration