Today, Councilmember Bob Kettle (District 7) released the following statement in response to continued actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Seattle, and the agency’s recent recruitment video that specifically attempts to persuade Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers to work for ICE. 

I am incredibly concerned by the latest ICE actions – not only the indiscriminate targeting of our immigrant neighbors in Seattle, but also the agency attempting to sway dedicated officers of our SPD. This behavior by federal government is unacceptable and directly undermines our local public safety progress, which is evidenced by our declining crime rates, the recent lifting of the Consent Decree, and increasing SPD applications and onboarding. Our city has come a long way since 2020.

I continue to support our immigrant communities, who make our city stronger, safer, and more vibrant, and our SPD officers, who are here to serve and protect everyone in Seattle. The new ICE recruitment video was created simply to promote a false narrative and weaken our Seattle values. We will not let that happen.

I remain dedicated to protecting all our communities and investing in our local law enforcement. What we’re seeing at the federal level is unprecedented, inappropriate, and unsustainable for a healthy democracy.

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Councilmember Kettle also addressed the issue in his opening remarks during Tuesday’s Public Safety Committee meeting.

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