CITY OF SEATTLE

ORDINANCE __________________

COUNCIL BILL __________________

AN ORDINANCE relating to civil immigration enforcement; prohibiting civil immigration enforcement staging on all real property that is City owned and controlled; and adding a new Chapter 14.125 to the Seattle Municipal Code.

WHEREAS, Executive Order 2025-08 directed the City to “develop and send to the City Council an ordinance prohibiting staging and operations of federal civil immigration enforcement activities on City property to the extent permissible by law”; and

WHEREAS, The City of Seattle (City), as a first-class city, has the authority to control the use of its own property and to ensure the intended purposes of that property; and

WHEREAS, state and local laws and policies prohibit City resources and personnel from being used to assist with or participate in activities that support or constitute federal civil immigration enforcement, unless otherwise required by law; and

WHEREAS, the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government from commandeering the City’s resources against the City’s will related to civil immigration enforcement activities; and

WHEREAS, the City is proud to be a Welcoming City, affirming its steadfast commitment to serve as a safe and supportive home for refugees and immigrants; and

WHEREAS, federal immigration operations and staging on City property is inconsistent with the City’s values of protecting immigrant and refugee communities; and

WHEREAS, the City’s laws and policies are designed to promote public safety and enhance trust between immigrant and refugee communities and their local government and local law enforcement; and

WHEREAS, there is precedent for federal civil immigration enforcement activities being staged on municipal property nationwide, creating a risk that such actions could occur in Seattle; and

WHEREAS, similarly situated municipalities, including the City of Chicago and Santa Clara County, California, have also taken action to limit the federal government from engaging in civil immigration enforcement at municipal facilities, including parking lots, garages, and vacant land; and

WHEREAS, Executive Order 2026-03 prohibits federal authorities from using City owned and controlled property to stage civil immigration enforcement operations, to include only City parking lots, parks, plazas, vacant lots, storage facilities, garages, and the Seattle Center; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. Findings

A. The use of certain City properties and resources for civil immigration enforcement staging purposes can interfere with or burden City government activities, erode public trust in City government, and undermine public safety.

B. Civil immigration enforcement staging on City properties that serve sensitive populations may cause undue harm to all City residents, including individuals with lawful presence, by discouraging sensitive populations from seeking essential services or discouraging their relatives or caregivers from accompanying or visiting them.

C. Seattle’s support system for vulnerable residents is built around a network of City-run programs, county partnerships, and community'based organizations, some of which operate from properties that are leased from The City of Seattle.

D. Leasing properties to non-profit service providers serves an important municipal purpose because it turns public real estate into long'term social infrastructure. It lowers barriers for the organizations that are closest to vulnerable communities while helping the City achieve policy goals more efficiently and equitably.

E. Regional partnerships, such as the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, rely on contracted service providers to operate shelters and non-congregate shelter villages and/or provide related services on City-owned or controlled properties that are located in areas with a concentration of unhoused vulnerable individuals and sensitive populations.

F. The City leases properties, such as its City Service Centers, from third parties to ensure that its services become more accessible in neighborhoods where vulnerable residents live. This practice also serves an important municipal purpose because it eliminates geographic barriers that might prevent direct access to services that are designed to meet immediate needs, stabilize long'term wellbeing, and connect people to ongoing support.

G. Civil immigration enforcement staging operations must not be staged in areas where they will interfere with the City’s ability to perform its Charter-mandated obligations of government, including the health, safety, and general welfare of all Seattle residents.

Section 2. A new Chapter 14.125 is added to the Seattle Municipal Code as follows:

Chapter 14.125 IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT STAGING

14.125.010 Prohibiting use of City property for immigration enforcement staging

A. Real property that is City owned or controlled, but which does not include the public right-of-way used for pedestrian and vehicular traffic, shall not be used for civil immigration enforcement staging, including actions to assemble, mobilize, or deploy personnel, vehicles, or equipment for civil immigration enforcement staging operations, or for surveillance or logistical coordination for those operations.

B. For the purpose of this Chapter 14.125, a City controlled property is any real property in which the City possesses any ownership interest or any leasehold interest and for which the City has not agreed through a contractual or other legal instrument to cede control of the City’s property interest as pertains to the enforcement of this Chapter 14.125.

14.125.020 Scope

A. Nothing in this Chapter 14.125 shall be construed as restricting or interfering with the execution of lawful judicial warrants or the enforcement of criminal law, nor as limiting the rights of any person under state or federal law.

B. This Chapter 14.125 does not prohibit the lawful use of real property that is City owned or controlled for purposes other than civil immigration enforcement staging, nor does it restrict any person or entity from carrying out lawful functions unrelated to that purpose on such property.

14.125.030 Injunctive relief

The Seattle City Attorney’s Office may seek legal or equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction, including injunctive relief, to enjoin any acts or practices that violate this Chapter 14.125.

Identification and signing of City properties to educate the public on staging restrictions

A. For the purposes of public education only, the City should create clear signage that can be posted on a property pursuant to Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) Section 14.125.010. The lack of a sign on City owned or controlled property shall not preclude the City from seeking injunctive relief under SMC 14.125.030.

B. When interpreting SMC 14.125.010, and implementing signage pursuant to this section, the Seattle City Attorney’s Office (CAO) is requested to work with the Department of Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) to convene departments that own or control property to identify and sign properties, prioritizing properties near essential services like basic shelter, healthcare, childcare, food distribution, education or other basic support services, and for which civil immigration staging might deter individuals or families from using such services.

C. By May 1, 2026, FAS and the CAO should submit to the Mayor’s Office and the Council a list of properties identified using the criteria in this section.

Section 4. The provisions of this ordinance are declared to be separate and severable. The invalidity of any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section, or portion of this ordinance, or the invalidity of its application to any person or circumstance, does not affect the validity of the remainder of this ordinance or the validity of its application to other persons or circumstances.

Section 5. This ordinance shall take effect as provided by Seattle Municipal Code Sections 1.04.020 and 1.04.070.

Passed by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2026, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its passage this ________ day of _________________________, 2026.

____________________________________
President ____________ of the City Council

Approved /  returned unsigned /  vetoed this ____day of _______________, 2026.

____________________________________
Katie B. Wilson, Mayor

Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2026.

____________________________________
Scheereen Dedman, City Clerk

(Seal)