King County’s law enforcement oversight office is recommending that the Sheriff’s Office strengthen its immigration enforcement policies, expand outreach and publish more information about federal immigration enforcement activity after community members reported fear, confusion and reduced trust in local law enforcement.
The recommendations, released Aug. 20 by the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO), could directly affect communities served by the King County Sheriff’s Office, including Burien, SeaTac, and unincorporated King County communities such as White Center. OLEO defines the Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction as including unincorporated King County, contract cities such as Burien and SeaTac, the King County International Airport, and Metro and Sound Transit agencies.
“As immigration enforcement intensifies nationwide, community members seek additional resources and protections for immigrants in King County,” OLEO said in its report page.
The report, “Responding to Increased Federal Immigration Enforcement,” was prepared with The Arc of King County, Congolese Integration Network, Eastside For All, Look2Justice, People Power Washington and Urban Family. It was informed by a survey open from March 16 to April 30, which drew 273 respondents, including 181 who left comments, along with five listening sessions attended by about 100 people, according to OLEO.
OLEO said community members expressed significant fear of federal immigration enforcement and confusion about the Sheriff’s Office’s role or interaction with federal immigration enforcement activity.
One in five survey respondents said they or someone close to them had been directly affected by federal immigration enforcement, while another quarter said someone they know had been directly affected, according to the report. Forty percent said their community at large had been affected.
A majority of survey respondents said fears of immigration enforcement have affected school attendance, health care access and other activities for them and their community members, according to OLEO. More than 40% said they were less willing or not willing to call law enforcement when they need help, and more than one-third said they were less willing or not willing to call police to report a crime or provide information about crimes because of fear of immigration enforcement.
The report also found that a vast majority of survey respondents said they were more worried about racial profiling by law enforcement officers because of increased federal immigration enforcement. Nearly 20% said they felt their race or ethnicity had affected interactions with the Sheriff’s Office.
The report includes seven recommendations for the Sheriff’s Office. They include creating a policy, in consultation with legal advisers and community members, directing deputies to intervene when they observe federal law enforcement agents using unlawful excessive force.
OLEO also recommends expanding outreach and education, auditing technology and data software contracts for policy compliance, creating a protocol for moving abandoned vehicles when a driver has been detained by a federal immigration enforcement agency, and tracking and regularly publishing available information on federal immigration enforcement activity in King County without increasing communication with federal immigration authorities.
Other recommendations call for clarifying supervisor responsibilities, requiring additional deputies to be present when responding to federal immigration enforcement activity to ensure full documentation, and removing the term “criminal immigration enforcement” from Sheriff’s Office policy.
The abandoned vehicle recommendation addresses concerns raised by survey respondents and listening session participants. The report says community members in Washington have reported that ICE may leave vehicles after detentions, and that losing a vehicle can affect income, food access and sometimes shelter.
Community-based immigrant service networks in South and East King County are already discussing ways to move vehicles left after ICE detentions without impounding them, according to the report.
In April, the Sheriff’s Office updated its policies to restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities and require documentation of federal immigration enforcement activity in King County, according to OLEO.
The report says the Sheriff’s Office already requires deputies to activate body-worn cameras before interacting with federal agents or community members during immigration-related incidents, document and report federal immigration enforcement activity to a supervisor, and provide information, resources or referrals to community members at the scene.
The Sheriff’s Office has received OLEO’s report and said in an initial response that it will consult subject matter experts before fully responding to the recommendations, according to OLEO. As of Aug. 20, all seven recommendations were listed as pending.
OLEO said it will update the recommendation status no later than February 2027.
