Federal immigration authorities have detained two individuals in Issaquah during the past week, generating anxiety throughout the community.
The arrests and broader immigration enforcement activities dominated Monday evening’s special city council session.
Police Chief Paula Schwan outlined the city’s policy regarding resident interactions during the meeting.
“When our officers interact with residents or visitors, we do not ask for immigration status,” Schwan stated. “If someone is arrested, we do not contact ICE to inform them any undocumented person is in custody, and when someone is released, we provide no information beyond what is already publicly available.”
However, following ICE’s detention of Diana Romero at The Learning Nest last week and another individual’s arrest at the McDonald’s restaurant on East Sammamish Parkway Tuesday morning, questions persist about the city’s response strategy.
Kelly Jiang serves on the Issaquah City Council.
“As a city we are a little bit limited in what we can do, and that’s why I’ve been calling on our state legislators to step up and pass laws that protect our communities,” Jiang stated. “For example, by requiring all law enforcement to not wear a mask and be able to show badge IDs and their names.”
While Issaquah lacks specific sanctuary city designation, Washington operates as a sanctuary state. The Keep Washington Working law prohibits local law enforcement from assisting or collaborating with federal immigration agencies.
“I definitely think there’s more that can be done, whether it be at the individual level, city level and state level to protect individual community members,” Jiang added.
Mayor Mary Lou Pauly stated in a release she “recommended that the City Council approve a budget amendment to allocate $50,000 in additional grant funding to support immigration services.”
Jiang supports the amendment and encouraged others to do likewise.
“This is taking priority now so that’s why we need to step up and support our organizations as a city but also as a community,” she stated.
The two ICE arrests within a week representing escalation of federal immigration enforcement in suburban Seattle areas, with the Issaquah activity suggesting either increased ICE Seattle field office operations or specific intelligence about undocumented individuals residing in Eastside communities.
The public space arrests at The Learning Nest childcare facility and McDonald’s restaurant creating widespread community alarm beyond directly affected families, with the visible detentions demonstrating that ICE operations now occur in everyday locations where residents previously felt safe rather than confined to workplaces or homes.
Diana Romero’s arrest at The Learning Nest childcare center raising particular concern among parents with children enrolled in local daycares and preschools, with the location suggesting ICE agents either targeted Romero specifically knowing her routine or conducted surveillance of facilities employing immigrant workers.
The McDonald’s arrest location on East Sammamish Parkway indicating ICE operations extending beyond childcare facilities to commercial establishments frequenting by general public, with the restaurant detention potentially affecting customer traffic as families avoid locations where they might witness enforcement actions.
The special city council meeting convening specifically to address immigration enforcement demonstrating elected officials’ recognition of community crisis requiring immediate political response, with the dedicated session signaling that routine business processes prove inadequate for addressing constituent fears.
Chief Paula Schwan’s statement that officers “do not ask for immigration status” articulating standard sanctuary jurisdiction policy designed to encourage crime reporting and community cooperation regardless of documentation status, with the assurance attempting to maintain trust between police and immigrant populations.
The policy not contacting ICE about undocumented arrestees preventing local law enforcement from functioning as de facto immigration agents, with the non-cooperation stance protecting city resources from being diverted to federal enforcement priorities while preserving police-community relationships.
The limitation on information sharing to “what is already publicly available” suggesting Issaquah police will not proactively notify ICE but cannot prevent federal agents from accessing public arrest records, court documents, and jail rosters that immigration authorities can monitor independently.
Councilmember Kelly Jiang’s acknowledgment that “as a city we are a little bit limited” reflecting municipal governments’ constrained authority over federal immigration enforcement, with the admission recognizing that symbolic sanctuary declarations cannot prevent ICE operations within city boundaries.
Jiang’s call for state legislators to “step up and pass laws that protect our communities” deflecting responsibility to Olympia while simultaneously acknowledging city-level interventions prove insufficient, with the request suggesting frustration with state government’s inadequate response to Trump administration enforcement escalation.
The specific proposal requiring law enforcement to not wear masks and display badge IDs and names directly responding to recent Seattle and Issaquah incidents where masked federal agents conducted arrests, with the transparency measure attempting to prevent impersonators while enabling witnesses to document and report officer identities.
The sanctuary state designation under the Keep Washington Working law establishing statewide policy preventing local law enforcement cooperation with ICE, though the law cannot prohibit federal agents from independently conducting operations without requesting local assistance.
The Keep Washington Working law’s prohibition on assisting or working with federal immigration agencies creating legal framework supporting Issaquah’s non-cooperation policy, with the state legislation providing political cover for local officials who might otherwise face pressure to collaborate with ICE.
Jiang’s assertion that “there’s more that can be done” at individual, city, and state levels suggesting a multi-tiered resistance strategy, with the comment implying current protections prove inadequate and require enhanced interventions across governmental and community spheres.
Mayor Pauly’s $50,000 budget amendment recommendation for immigration services support representing modest financial commitment given Issaquah’s substantial municipal budget, with the allocation likely funding legal assistance, know-your-rights education, and rapid response networks rather than comprehensive immigration legal representation for all affected residents.
The grant funding characterization suggesting the money would flow to nonprofit organizations rather than direct city service provision, with the approach enabling partnerships with established immigration advocacy groups possessing expertise city government lacks.
Jiang’s support for the amendment and encouragement of others indicating potential council resistance or public skepticism requiring political persuasion, with the advocacy suggesting not all constituents support spending taxpayer funds on immigration services during budget constraints.
The “taking priority now” language reflecting the urgency immigrant communities feel following the arrests, with Jiang’s statement acknowledging that abstract sanctuary policies prove meaningless without concrete resource commitments supporting affected families.
The call to “support our organizations as a city but also as a community” invoking both governmental and grassroots responses, with the dual emphasis suggesting official actions alone cannot protect immigrants without broader community solidarity including know-your-rights trainings, rapid response networks, and legal defense funds.
The fear spreading throughout Issaquah beyond undocumented residents to include legal immigrants and mixed-status families uncertain whether they might be targeted, with the anxiety potentially affecting community participation in schools, public services, and civic activities as families avoid visibility.
The Eastside location significance given Issaquah’s proximity to Seattle’s technology industry where many immigrant workers reside, with the arrests potentially affecting tech companies’ ability to recruit international talent if employees fear their residential communities have become enforcement targets.
The timing during Trump administration’s second term when immigration enforcement has intensified nationwide, with the Issaquah arrests fitting broader pattern of ICE operations in sanctuary jurisdictions that the administration has specifically targeted for enforcement escalation.
