SEATTLE — President Donald Trump Friday revived the idea of sending migrants from the southern border to sanctuary cities that limit their interactions with federal immigration enforcement agents.
That would likely include Seattle and King County, where Trump's first Muslim travel ban was challenged and overturned.
For example, the King County Jail doesn't alert ICE agents to undocumented immigrants unless a judge has issued a warrant for their arrest.
Matt Adams is the legal director for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.
“The government would be using a tremendous amount of resources, I mean millions of dollars to take a vindictive action. To try to target communities that are not supporting a political agenda.”
But if Trump does move migrants to the streets of Washington's sanctuary cities, Adams doubts there would be anything to fear.
"The immigrant communities are a vital part of what we are here in Washington state," he said. "So, I don't think if there's some additional immigrants in our community that's going to have any negative repercussions.
"This threat is yet another inhumane proposal from a White House that continues to separate children from parents and hold them in deplorable conditions. It is against our values to use people – including children and families in crisis – as political pawns.”
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