Sen. Patty Murray condemns detainment of legal asylum seekers in response to Spokane ICE protests

SPOKANE, Wash. — U.S. Senator Patty Murray released a statement on the protests that took place in Spokane Wednesday evening.

More than 30 people were arrested at these protests, including former Spokane city councilman Ben Stuckart.

The protests were organized by Stuckart as immigration agents were working to transport multiple immigrants to a detention facility in Tacoma, including one man seeking asylum in the United States from Venezuela.

“It’s totally wrong to abruptly detain legal asylum seekers at their check-in appointments without any justification,” Sen. Murray said in her statement. “We’re talking about people who were following the legal process, contributing to their communities, and pose no threat to public safety.”

You can read Sen. Murray’s full statement below:

“It’s totally wrong to abruptly detain legal asylum seekers at their check-in appointments without any justification—we’re talking about people who were following the legal process, contributing to their communities, and pose no threat to public safety. As I’ve said time and again, diverting law enforcement resources away from fighting violent crime to round up immigrants who are working and going through the legal process is nothing but a cruel waste of taxpayer dollars that makes all of us less safe.“The Trump administration is intentionally provoking chaos, terror, and disorder in our communities by bringing in federal agents to grab people off the streets. I stand with the citizens of Spokane who are peacefully speaking out against these egregious abuses of our immigration laws, and those who are mounting challenges in the courts.“I will always support people exercising their First Amendment right to peaceful protest and I urge anyone taking part in protest activities to remain calm and never resort to violence, which only plays into the Trump administration’s hands.“The Trump administration needs to let local law enforcement do their job—federal troops should never be deployed over the request of state and local officials to escalate situations that local police are already effectively managing.”