Spokane City Councilmember proposes revised ordinance to limit ICE access to city property

SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane city councilman is pushing forward with a revised ordinance to prohibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from entering certain areas of city property, despite the proposal being voted down by the city council last month.

The “Safe and Welcome in Spokane” ordinance aims to protect people from warrantless ICE searches at events held on city property. Council Member Paul Dillon is leading the effort in response to recent events and concerns within the immigrant community.

“I completely understand a lot of the fears out there with the immigrant community. Those fears are real,” Dillon said.

The revised ordinance includes specific requirements for events to qualify for protection. Events must have clear signage and barriers, and the ordinance would only ban ICE from entering private ticketed events being held on city land.

“You’d have to work with the city permitting office and make sure that it is a ticketed event. So it clarifies how those events are approved,” Dillon said.

However, the ordinance would not limit ICE agents from entering public events, such as community festivals like Tacos and Tequila. The limitation has drawn criticism from some community advocates who argue the measure does not provide enough protection.

Fernanda Mazcot, executive director of Nuestras Raices, said she is concerned about the ordinance’s scope.

“My concern with the ordinance is that, for an event such as the ones that we’re having, which is a non-ticketed event open to the public, the ordinance wouldn’t do much to protect the event,” Mazcot said.

The proposal has generated debate within the community, with some arguing the ordinance does not go far enough to protect vulnerable populations, while others believe the city is overstepping its bounds.

Public comments from the previous introduction of the ordinance revealed opposition from residents who believe the city should not interfere with federal law enforcement.

“Basically you are saying that you want people who are breaking the law to be protected, and law enforcement is not allowed to come in,” one speaker said during public comment at a previous council meeting.

The revised ordinance is scheduled to be presented to the Spokane City Council for the first time on August 18. Council members will have the opportunity to debate the proposal and hear additional public comment before deciding whether to move forward with the measure.