Council Legislation

Proposed Resolution No. R2025-139s

Title: A Resolution of the Pierce County Council Affirming Pierce County's Commitment to Public Safety, Equity, and Inclusive Access to County Services for Immigrants, Refugees and All Residents.

Status: Passed

Sponsors: Councilmembers Jani Hitchen, Rosie Ayala, Robyn Denson, Bryan Yambe

Final votes

April 29, 2025
Nay Nay Nay Aye Aye Aye Aye


Documents
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Public Comments

Name Date Comment
Carol Love 4/8/25 7:16 AM Illegal have nothing to do in any state. They need to be sent back where they came from. They crossed into our county illegally and broke the law. They have no right here at all
Carol Humiston 4/8/25 9:59 AM We have all we can do to help our homeless veterans who are legal, yet hurting and many homeless. A wide open sieve of a border these past years was an invitation for people to take advantage of us. We need you our public servants to protect LEGAL Americans and not foolishly emotionally get this twisted to think illegals should have LEGAL American's hard earned monies just because they got here. We are fiercely over taxed in this state now making it very hard, DON'T BURDEN US MORE with misplaced loyalties to ILLEGAL people when WE THE PEOPLE need relief.
Jake Stringfellow 4/8/25 10:21 AM Seems more like virtue signaling and pandering than anything. Focus on homeless citizens, veterans, foster kids, drug dependency, public safety, anything other than this. Heck I’d rather support fixing potholes.
PAM GRANT 4/8/25 10:57 AM I do not support
Cathy Young 4/8/25 11:52 AM People in our state need to be helped first. Illegals have committed a crime by coming into this country without the proper channels. I do not support funding them. Veterans & citizens come first.
Dan Buckley 4/8/25 12:19 PM With all that needs to be done in Pierce County, this is what you're devoting precious time to? Maybe we don't really need a County Council. How about doing something about illegal dumping going on? Or the ever-expanding homeless problem?
Greg 4/8/25 12:43 PM If people do not pay taxes/legal citizen they do not deserve to receive payment or services from our tax money.
Debra Krauter 4/8/25 2:34 PM We need to take care of our citizens, vets and elderly. Enough taxing us to death. We are over burdened with taxes now because if you bleeding hearts. Take care of us that are legal citizens. I oppose this proposal
Cheryl Steffen 4/8/25 2:41 PM Illegal migrants need to go back home and get in line like onions of others over the years. I’m not against immigration. I am against illegal immigration forced on us by our government. Thank you.
Daniel Gwinn 4/8/25 4:12 PM This looks good. Our communities benefit when we welcome immigrants to Pierce County. Their status in our broken system shouldn't matter.
Joseph McCarthy 4/8/25 4:55 PM Immigration is the responsibility of the Federal Government. It is not the responsibility of Pierce County. Pierce County should fully comply with immigration law and not seek to circumvent that law in any way shape or form.
Nick Maurin 4/8/25 6:10 PM deport all illegals. My tax money should not be used to pay for people that should not even be in this country
Bob Valentine 4/8/25 8:06 PM I’m all for helping people who have arrived in this country “legally” if they need some help. Not live off the system but help until they can get on their feet. If this proposal is to grant access to government assistance and funding for illegal aliens or illegal immigrants then I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS IN ANY WAY.
Rod Billinghurst 4/9/25 1:29 AM R2025-139 fails to distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants and reflects a selective enforcement of standards ... an all too familiar road to ruin in Western WA.
Michelle 4/9/25 9:56 AM I am a veteran. The VA provides a lot for veterans but putting us against illegal immigrants like the comments say is vile and disgusting. Helping people who came here to help their family doesn't take away from us. If you want to get angry for veterans stop trying to attack other and ask Congress why they are cutting VA benefits. Ask them why they haven't passed the Major Richard Star Act. The Federal government is responsible for taking care of veterans. We fought for freedom and liberty in America and across the world. It is a basic human right to have access to healthy foods, clean water, shelter, and medical. The level of racism and hate in these comments over people that are your neighbors, share schools with your kids is disgusting. Grow up and have some compassion. I fully support is. It doesn't hurt me, AS AN ACTUAL VETERAN, for the county to help others.
Linny 4/9/25 12:53 PM I was raised to believe that all people need help and support. Most people in this country have ancestors that were immigrants. Who knows if they came legally. It doesn’t matter. Kindness matters.
S. ROBERTS 4/11/25 10:00 AM You haven't specified whether the "Immigrants" should be legal. And yet another tax, which WE DO NOT NEED!
Lynne Dodson 4/11/25 12:47 PM This is particularly important now when immigrants and visa holders are being subject to illegal kidnapping and detention. Please take a stand against the cruelty and lack of due process!
Heather Benedict 4/11/25 4:49 PM I support the principle of inclusive access to government services, but I must point out a painful contradiction within Pierce County’s own justice system. While this Council proposes to affirm equity and access for residents, including immigrants and refugees, it continues to enable systemic exclusion and harm within its own court infrastructure — especially for those navigating probate, disability, or poverty. As a daughter fighting for years to resolve my late mother’s estate, I have experienced firsthand what it’s like to be permanently banned from Pierce County’s e-filing system, denied ADA accommodations despite documented PTSD, and told by a county executive lawyer to “just sue the County” after they admitted a signed probate order was mishandled and never entered into the record. That order — and my motion — vanished. No accountability. No fix. Just silence. To this day, the May 16, 2016 probate hearing has no clerk’s minute entry in the public docket. Yet a verbatim recording exists. The Clerk’s Office, under the supervision of the County Executive, failed to maintain accurate records, refused to correct known errors, and violated Washington’s Address Confidentiality Program by publishing my protected address. How can this Council talk about fairness, equity, and inclusion while its own court recordkeeping is a closed door for disabled litigants, grieving families, and those who can't afford attorneys? It’s time to return to an elected Clerk of the Superior Court, as required by Article IV, Section 26 of the Washington Constitution. Appointing this critical role — instead of allowing voters to choose it — has led to unaccountable administration and widespread harm. If Pierce County wants to model inclusion, it must begin with access to justice for everyone — including daughters trying to honor their mothers and disabled litigants fighting to be heard. Please consider the stories not in your press releases, but in your public record. Start there. Respectfully, Heather Benedict
Jeff Pack 4/13/25 12:00 AM "legal" immigrants Why is my tax money supporting those that came illegally? Its an insult to those that worked hard and did so legally
Elizabeth Scott 4/13/25 10:43 AM We are a nation of immigrants who enrich us with their cultures, work ethics and who, documented or undocumented, pay taxes and fill jobs necessary to our lives and economy. We owe them protection from unlawful federal actions. No lawful person deserves to be afraid of the knock on their door or being pulled over and taken to jail or detention with no notice. I support this resolution. I support that in passing this resolution it will get rid of "everify" which is federal overreach since people must fill out I-9s when are hired.
JAN TAYLOR 4/14/25 11:04 AM I definitely support this! AFFIRMING is the operative word here! That no county funds, facilities, property, equipment, or personnel shall be used to investigate, enforce, cooperate with, or assist in the enforcement of federal registration or surveillance programs, or any other policies that target Washington residents based solely on race, religion, immigration, or citizenship, status, or national or ethnic origin. Immigrants are welcome here and this resolution commits to their protection, as well as to that of ALL residents in Pierce County. If we don't stand up for immigrants now, we could be targeted next.
Bill Dean 4/14/25 11:26 AM Stop the Immigration Cruelty We’re now into 80d of the Republican regime and a long way to go but the immoral unconstitutional treatment of immigrants is reprehensible And now there is the beginning of the family separation policy that occurred during the last Trump regime In this police state people are swept off the streets, visas unknowingly revoked, and now the combing of government IRS data to “get the goods” on tax paying immigrants so that their citizenship can be deleted so that they can be sent to concentration camps domestically and to foreign countries This patriotic cleansing is monstrous activity condemnable on so many levels but of course the point is not anything more than cruel Just as the ongoing Gaza genocide is happening and Americans are unsettled with that, Americans stand by justified in their country’s disgusting treatment of fellow human beings is shameful Currently the regime is asking for billions of dollars more in the budget to support this sadistic policy How can it be that we a nation of immigrants treat our successors with such inhumane dictums? If you have any sense of common decency or for that matter a soul such treatment should be vehemently Unless we speak out we are complicit with these disgusting treatments of our fellow human beings Because this purge is just the beginning Next it could be LGBTQ+ advocates, drag queens, student who speak out, news organization celebrities critical of the regime, comedians who joke about the Der Fuhrer, any marginalized group will be sent off to the gulag
Linda Hood 4/14/25 11:38 AM I strongly support the directive giving support to immigrants in Pierce County. Please pass this directive at the council meeting.
Jennifer Vasilez 4/14/25 12:48 PM Immigrants are our neighbors. Allowing law enforcement, hospitals, and schools to cooperate with ICE decreases community safety rather than increases safety. Imagine an undocumented immigrant who is the victim of domestic violence, how can they get help? What about the safety and welfare of children? Educating residence increases positive outcomes for all citizens. I support the continuation of this legislation.
Walter Hudsick 4/14/25 1:05 PM It is more important now than it ever has been to publicly state what we as a community stand for. This resulkution needs to pass!
Cherie A Sandretzky 4/14/25 1:11 PM When do we ride to dump the Tea in Puget Sound? The people are ready for an uprising and it will not be pretty. SO, I would like to respectfully submit mine and my entire families thoughts on this proposal. Right now we have veterans, disabled and aged people in our family along with many friends. When each and everyone hears about this unimaginable action. Heads shake and people wonder who is running this horse and pony show. Grandma says "well the inmates are running the asylum" Is that how you want to be known? As a bunch of uncaring, uneducated, Anti Americans? Why are so many homeless Americans living in the forest across from my home, and yes there are lots of kids! why are our streets and food banks lined with people begging for a simple meal. I've worked hard as a Critical Care RN, I see the suffering that legislation like this creates. It is not my duty to support the world. Charity begins at home and certain people I know of are literally STARVING and FREEZING because of circumstances beyond their means and uncaring and seemingly inhumane persons wanting this legislation to pass. CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME. Why would you want our hard earned taxes going to support DEI and illegal activities. Which have been proven just this very week that a vast majority of illegals are felons and outlaws from other countries that are bringing illegal activities to our front doors. Fentanyl, theft, trafficking, recently attempted murder near here in Burien, the poor woman was mutilated and thrown for dead from a bridge. So I beg of you to stop this. Stop the taxes, take care of Washingtonians and then when our books show that we can balance a budget and trim the fat off of the corruption, then we can start to help others. Until then, I am tired of seeing people that have worked hard, starving, not turning on their heat, not getting medications or being homeless. Enough is Enough! Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. Cherie
Marty Webb 4/14/25 2:32 PM I’m writing in support of the Keep WA Working Act and in Pierce County continuing to be a Welcoming County. I grew up at the border with Mexico and went to school with young Mexicans and then too the kids of the Portuguese fisherman. Their families welcomed me into their homes, made tamales for my family at Christmas, tended the roses in my Grandma’s garden, and were the best of friends and neighbors. Thank you for anything you might do to make life easier for them once they are here seeking a new home. I’m particularly concerned that our sheriff has committed to assisting the Feds in rounding up anyone who might look like…hmm, who might they look like?
Mike Miller 4/14/25 7:39 PM We need smaller Government the American people are tired of all these bills these people are passing it should be a vote not hid while we're asleep
Tammy Miller 4/14/25 7:44 PM No more mail in voting we all should vote on all bills
sherri 4/14/25 7:58 PM Thank you for taking steps to protect such a vulnerable and persecuted group of people. I appreciate your affirmation of the right to safety, equity, and inclusiveness.
Melissa McBurney 4/14/25 7:59 PM Please pass this resolution. Everyone deserves a community where they feel a sense of belonging, safety, and security.
John Leslie 4/15/25 8:34 AM This Council was elected by Citizens, not Residents. At least I hope so. You were elected to represent Citizens, not Residents. By taking this action you are placing the interests of foreign nationals above your own citizens who elected you. You are also committing to funding illegal immigration with our tax dollars. The nationwide intentional efforts to flood the nation with illegal aliens to build a constituency group has been exposed and is collapsing. Why would you double down on these illegal actions? You are not only placing yourselves personally on shaky ground in what appears to be blatant violations of Federal Law, you are also endangering the very citizens who elected you. First, by illegally shielding criminal illegal aliens from federal detainers, criminal illegal aliens are enjoying the protection of Pierce County that even citizens would not enjoy if a detainer from King County or the state were requested. 8 U.S. Code § 1324 (a)(1)(A)(ii-iv) makes it a federal crime to “conceal, harbor or shield from detection” any illegal alien which this Ordinance does. Second, since revenues are finite, any tax dollars spent on behalf of any non citizen are by necessity taken from some other area. In practice robbing from citizens to pay for illegal aliens. Additionally, federal funding may be at risk in response to violating federal law, again robbing your own citizens in this attempt to fund illegal aliens.
Louisa Beal 4/15/25 9:01 AM I support this resolution. We are a nation of immigrants who, documented or undocumented, pay taxes and fill jobs necessary to our lives and economy. We owe them protection from unlawful federal actions. No lawful person deserves to be afraid of the knock on their door or being pulled over and taken to jail or detention with no notice.
Emily Anderson 4/15/25 9:22 AM When Washington State adopted the Keep Washington Working Act SB 5497 it passed nearly on party lines. I understand from watching the committee hearings that undocumented individuals are scared to get services because they do not want to be deported. I’m sorry but that’s a risk a person takes when going to a foreign county without proper documentation. Since that law has passed there is now clear evidence that millions of undocumented individuals have been allowed to come to the United States for political gain. Specifically here in Washington with the voter motor laws that allow individuals to vote who should not be voting. Former Attorney General Bob Ferguson has weaponized our courts and the Washington state bar association by going after any one who attempt to expose the criminal acts surrounding this issue. specifically Attorney Virginia Shogren who has an open case for her clients in King County exposing criminal acts of theses elected officials and govt agencies. I believe it is in the best interest of elected officials in Pierce County as well as the citizens to not support these laws passed for political gain. Furthmore, Senator Ashley Moody has filed a bill to deny student visas to Chinese nationals because China has passed a law that requiring every Chinese National to gather intelligence including Chinese students studying here. The County should not be taking action in protecting undocumented people. We have a lot of bad people who are living in this state most recently the Venezuelan gang Tren De Argua has been operating in WA state specifically along the I-5 corridor. They recently abducted a Burien woman, this woman was tortured and they drilled a hole in her hand with a power drill…. They drilled a hole in her hand with a power drill as they drove her down i90 where they shot her and left her for dead next to i90. This needs to stop. We need to feel safe from criminals. Pierce county needs to support law enforcement and ICE in getting the bad people out of here and empowering the individual’s that are supposed to be to read the constitution and how to file grievances against govt agents who are abusing their authority. If the council passes a resolution protecting these individuals to remain ignorant none of us win. We need people to be empowered to stand up for themselves and not rely of govt agencies to protect them. Please oppose this resolution
Karen Chappell 4/16/25 8:27 AM This is a violation of federal law & a slap in the face to rightful citizens of this state & country. There are legal methods in which people can reside in this country; protecting those who break the law is why we are in such a mess financially & suffering from the current state of lawlessness. Washington state is already taxing us to death. You are supposed to represent citizens, not lawbreakers!
Laurie Layne 4/16/25 8:42 AM I have a? why are we using protecting and funding illegals!Out of our Pockets!Also illegal nationally! Will cut all funding if this is done! Remember you work for us not them!
Jonathan Anderson 4/16/25 8:55 AM I strongly oppose Resolution No. R2025-139, which prioritizes the protection and funding of illegal aliens over the interests of Pierce County citizens. This resolution undermines public safety, violates federal law, and misuses taxpayer funds. Violation of Federal Law: The resolution’s prohibition on cooperating with federal immigration enforcement appears to violate 8 U.S. Code § 1324, which criminalizes concealing, harboring, or shielding illegal aliens. This exposes the county to legal risks and undermines the rule of law. Misrepresentation of “Residents”: By conflating citizens with non-citizens, the resolution diverts taxpayer-funded services meant for citizens to illegal aliens, straining finite resources and prioritizing non-citizens over those who elected you. Public Safety Risks: Refusing to honor federal detainers for criminal aliens forces federal agents to apprehend dangerous individuals in public settings, endangering citizens and law enforcement. Unfair Treatment: The resolution grants illegal aliens protections and benefits that legal immigrants and citizens may not receive, creating an inequitable system. Lack of Transparency: Many citizens are unaware of this resolution, which appears to be pushed through without adequate public input or consideration. Councilmembers are elected to represent citizens, not illegal aliens. I urge you to reject Resolution No. R2025-139 and prioritize the safety, resources, and rights of Pierce County citizens.
Chris Camire 4/16/25 9:01 AM Subject: Formal Opposition to Resolution No. R2025-139 Dear Members of the Pierce County Council, I write to register my strong and unambiguous opposition to Resolution No. R2025-139, which seeks to affirm Pierce County’s “commitment” to public safety, equity, and access to services—but in reality, establishes a dangerous policy of shielding individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States from federal immigration enforcement. The resolution’s declaration that “no Pierce County funds may be used to investigate, enforce, or cooperate with” federal immigration authorities is a direct affront to the rule of law and an overt attempt to obstruct federal authority. Such language not only mirrors the misguided provisions of Washington State’s E2SSB 5497 (the so-called “Keep Washington Working Act”) but may also constitute a violation of 8 U.S. Code § 1324, which criminalizes the harboring or shielding of illegal aliens from detection. Those found guilty of such actions face serious federal penalties, including imprisonment. Let me be perfectly clear: You were elected by citizens, not generic “residents.” You were elected to serve and protect the rights of citizens, not foreign nationals who entered or remain in this country illegally. Shielding individuals from federal law enforcement—particularly those with active detainers for criminal behavior—is not “equity”; it is reckless endangerment. ICE detainers exist for one reason: to remove dangerous individuals from our communities. Refusing to honor them releases known criminals back into public circulation. Taxpayer dollars are not a universal entitlement. Every dollar diverted to support an illegal alien is a dollar taken from a lawful citizen—often someone struggling under the very policies this Council continues to promote. This resolution affords protections to illegal aliens that even lawful immigrants and citizens do not enjoy. Where is the “equity” in that? Using vague and misleading terms like “residents” is a deliberate attempt to avoid public scrutiny and obscure your intent. Let me ask plainly: will lawful citizens be shielded from federal detainers with the same enthusiasm? Or is this special treatment only for those who have broken immigration laws? This resolution undermines law enforcement, endangers public safety, and betrays the citizens of Pierce County. Worse, it places this Council and the County itself in legal jeopardy by openly defying federal statutes. Across the country, the public is waking up to these games. The manufactured effort to overwhelm the system with illegal immigration as a means to cultivate political support is being exposed and rejected. Yet here in Pierce County, you propose doubling down on failure, lawlessness, and taxpayer betrayal. Let me be perfectly clear: If this resolution passes, the legal consequences will not be theoretical. There is now an appetite and political will to prosecute such violations under federal law—and those responsible for obstructing enforcement efforts may well find themselves the subject of federal inquiry. This Council must reject Resolution No. R2025-139 in its entirety. Anything less is a dereliction of duty and an affront to the people you were elected to serve. Respectfully, Chris Camire PCO 25-217
Carol Rich 4/16/25 9:31 AM I oppose this legislation. Intentional shielding illegal aliens is a federal crime. You should be concerned with the safety of the Washington citizens, not the welfare of non-citizens.
David C WILKIE 4/16/25 9:49 AM We have homeless veterans living in our streets. And you not only let, but you invited illegal immigrants into our communities, they are taking hour jobs.Entry jobs. Taking up space in our children's school ruling resources from our community. My answer is hell no.
Linda Wilson 4/16/25 11:06 AM I completely disagree with Res No R2025-139 Please vote NO on this. Do Not use My tax dollars to fund this anti American Resolution. Stop dragging us toward this Marxist agenda. At least, follow the Federal Law! We are America First! Vote NO "We The People", are "Citizens" of America, entitled to the use & benefit of our tax dollars. You shall not give our money away! Vote NO on Res No 2025-139! You are proposing a Federal Crime!
Robert Koreis 4/16/25 1:37 PM I am writing in support of Resolution R205-139s. In this time of fiscal uncertainty and chaos created by those in charge of federal agencies, Pierce County should not be spending any resources on federal responsibilities. Our county is in enough of a budget crunch without subsidizing the federal government. Nor should we support agencies that violate the basic Constitutional principle of due process in arresting legal residents and sending them to a brutal prison in a third country without even the opportunity to go before a judge. Our immigrant communities contribute greatly to Pierce County and should feel welcomed and protected as much as anyone.
Beryl Emberson-Nash 4/16/25 2:14 PM i do not support this legistration
Barbara moberg 4/16/25 2:48 PM Every dollar you spend on illegal aliens is a dollar you do not spend on the citizens that’s elected you and you are supposed to represent. If you think these bills are so great why doesn’t your party let everyone know what you are doing rather than hiding how you are mis using our tax dollars, defying federal law and how you do nothing for a better Washington and Pierce county. When you break the law even you should go to jail.
Randy Rich 4/16/25 5:43 PM I oppose this legislation! If you want to come to this country then follow the law and come legally. We should not be supporting anyone who comes illegally. We have American citizens and veterans who need support.
Shauna Cartwright 4/16/25 10:25 PM I oppose this legislation. This puts local police in the position of breaking federal law in order to protect their jobs.
Joch Louman 4/17/25 2:20 PM Common Sense has left these types, Do as the State Constitution commands from its founding principles I oppose this and any form of government that doesn’t follow the Constitution
Amie Starr 4/18/25 9:41 AM Immigration is a federal service. The county does not need to be a sanctuary city and we should allow people who are here legal more rights than everyday Americans. You would not be allowed the liberties they have here in their country. It's time to put law and order back in our community.
Art jury 4/18/25 9:59 AM Criminals have no place here. We have a legal way to enter the country. My wife's family did. Encourageing criminals lets illegal aliens be taken advantage of. And more crime is bad. We don't want to be one California with Buisness and people leaving the area
Shelby McDonald 4/18/25 10:06 AM I strongly oppose Resolution No. R2025-139, which prioritizes the protection and funding of illegal aliens over the interests of Pierce County citizens. This resolution undermines public safety, violates federal law, and misuses taxpayer funds. Violation of Federal Law: The resolution’s prohibition on cooperating with federal immigration enforcement appears to violate 8 U.S. Code § 1324, which criminalizes concealing, harboring, or shielding illegal aliens. This exposes the county to legal risks and undermines the rule of law. Misrepresentation of “Residents”: By conflating citizens with non-citizens, the resolution diverts taxpayer-funded services meant for citizens to illegal aliens, straining finite resources and prioritizing non-citizens over those who elected you. Public Safety Risks: Refusing to honor federal detainers for criminal aliens forces federal agents to apprehend dangerous individuals in public settings, endangering citizens and law enforcement. Unfair Treatment: The resolution grants illegal aliens protections and benefits that legal immigrants and citizens may not receive, creating an inequitable system. Lack of Transparency: Many citizens are unaware of this resolution, which appears to be pushed through without adequate public input or consideration. Councilmembers are elected to represent citizens, not illegal aliens. I urge you to reject Resolution No. R2025-139 and prioritize the safety, resources, and rights of Pierce County citizens.
Debbie Rammell 4/18/25 10:08 AM I support keeping us a sanctuary city/county especially in light of the current federal administration allowing ICE agents to pick up people that have legal status. Those with illegal status are members of our community and we need to protect them. Especially in light of the illegal actions of many ICE agents in the last few months.
Rebecca Weaver 4/18/25 10:20 AM Our tax dollars should not support people here illegally! Period, full stop. There are many many Americans that need help. They should take priority for our finite tax dollars.
Carolynn Millen 4/18/25 10:50 AM I support showing kindness to all. There are people who have fled terrible situations, things we could never imagine yet people with privilege say they should go back where they belong. This country was built on immigration. I support our county, our state, being a safe haven for all people regardless of where they were born.
Lyn 4/18/25 11:02 AM I strongly oppose this resolution. You were elected by citizens to represent citizens. We expect you to follow the law, including federal law. The fluffy title you gave this resolution fools no one.
Peter O'Brien 4/18/25 11:09 AM As a veteran and member of this community, I share the concerns of many regarding immigration. The issue seems straightforward: those who enter the country illegally, bypassing proper ports of entry or asylum processes, should not be supported or allowed to remain. I strongly oppose individuals exploiting the system or manipulating others' empathy to gain an advantage. Our current system does not condone such actions. I fully support those who pursue legal immigration pathways. However, the proposed legislation appears to undermine these processes, potentially encouraging more illegal entries. Those who dismiss this concern may not be considering the issue logically.
Judi Moody 4/18/25 11:31 AM Total violation of US Immigration laws...If these illegal aliens parked themselves as squatters in your homes, would you feel the same way and let them reside there permanently. Vote No on the insanity. Illegal means illegal. Period...
Natalie Hopson 4/18/25 11:39 AM YOU HAVE NO MORALS OR EMPATHY IF THIS PASSES YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF, YOUR JOB IS TO HELP AND PROTECT NOT SCARE AND HARASS PEOPLE!!
Ed Downs 4/18/25 11:50 AM I fully support this and thank you for bringing it up. Be brave! Be inclusive! Be kind! Thank you!
Brian Shaver 4/18/25 12:17 PM We need to follow the laws of our country. It is sad that you guys can tell us Trump is breaking the laws, but here you are doing the same thing. All the money you spend on illegal aliens can be used on our homeless veterans and our mentally ill homeless and just homeless. You need to listen to the people in your county for once. If they want to live in this country then they need to do it the legal way and keep up on their legal status at all times. I have no problem with them being here but it needs to be the legal way. Also you guys as government should be making it easier for them to get everything they need to work here in the USA. I think all illegally and legal ones that aren't citizens yet should be sent back if they break the law.
Paul sasse 4/18/25 12:30 PM It’s time for a special election you were elected to represent the people of Washington. Not the illegals who are going to cost the state billons in federal funding to the point that what little you do for the people who need it won’t even be able to be done. Look around Tacoma, Seattle Olympia you have Americans that are drugged out on drugs that are sent here from the same country as the people you are saying have a right here even though they broke the federal law. Everything in this state keeps going up there not enough home or apartment so let have people who are not even from this country make the situation worse. School don’t have enough funding to teach the kids in English but you have money for illegal kids to have resources for them to learn English and get extra help.
Benjamin Hoenhous 4/18/25 12:31 PM We are a country of law and order. If someone comes here illegally, they have broken law. It’s that simple. The mere thought that elected politicians have come to a point of absolute lawlessness and supporting ideals that are misguided in the least, is tragic and concerning. Hopefully this next round of voting will see these corrupt politicians voted out.
teresa robeson 4/18/25 12:31 PM I support sheriff Swank and the constitution. Pierce county leaders should follow Sheriff Swank and support the UNited States Constitution as well.
Jeffrey Maziarski 4/18/25 12:37 PM As a Veteran and a retired Pierce County Sheriff’s Detective, I am appalled and disgusted with this proposal’s attempt to disregard Constitutional law under the guise of noncommitalism. Just like I as a Veteran and LEO swore in my oath of office to uphold the Constitution and its laws you also took that same oath. The term illegal constitutes the very act of law breaking and should be reprehensible to any law abiding citizen. Illegal immigrants are not legal citizen as recognized under Federal law and your oath gives no room to ignore your obligation to uphold Federal law. The taxes I and others pay are for lawful citizens of this County and maintenance for lawful purposes only. I would suggest of any of you who sponsored or agree with this resolution are unable to uphold your oath of Office that you step down from your position. I cannot abide with anyone who fails to look out for the citizens they profess to work for, to scoff at them in such a manner as to place illegal immigrants above them. I have no ill will against illegal immigrants other than they are breaking the law by being here and your choice to allow them access to funds or resource's belonging to legal citizens of Pierce County.
Doug Stearns 4/18/25 12:48 PM There should be no sanctuary cities anywhere in America, America is for Americans. If you can't come here legally you don't belong here. Would you let a trespasser live on your property of move into your home????
Cheryl Wells 4/18/25 12:48 PM Protect ALL Washington residents from being obducted/kidnapped without due process and by those masked fascist supporters that show no signed court order or identification. This is extremely dangerous and must be stopped now!
Boonee Shaw Williamson 4/18/25 1:19 PM We cannot afford to be a sanctuary city, not financially nor from a safety perspective. Washington state is now NUMBER ONE in being the most unsafe states, Tacoma's crime has skyrocketed. We cannot even afford to police or provide services for our LEGAL residents, let alone all that it takes for undocumented
James H. Williamson 4/18/25 1:21 PM No, we need to FIX our city not enable more issues. We cannot afford to go this route
Carter Williamson 4/18/25 1:22 PM Comply with ICE, allow deportation of people that should not legally be here. Tacoma cannot afford to endorse this
Dana N 4/18/25 2:35 PM Take care of our citizens first. You represent Pierce county residents who are US citizens. Your priorities are severely misguided!
Dale Wright 4/18/25 2:51 PM I and my wife Pamela are firmly in favor of Proposed Resolution No. R2025-139s. Pierce County needs to remain a welcoming place for immigrants regardless of legal status. Do not allow fear mongering to influence this decision. There is nothing in this proposal about sheltering dangerous criminals. The vast majority of immigrants, including my forbears, are not dangerous criminals. I do not want my tax money going to aid the Gestapo like ICE in their politically biased persecution including attacks on clearly non-dangerous union activists. Thank you.
John peluso 4/18/25 3:32 PM There is nothing legal in and illegal person. This is simply a chicken statement about enforcing the laws of our country. Let our law enforcement do their jobs.
Richard Thomas 4/18/25 4:12 PM I support Sheriff Swank's opposition to Proposed Resolution No. R2025-139s. We need to fully cooperate with U.S. ICE to deport illegal aliens from our country. This proposed resolution is in direct opposition to the supremacy clause of the US Constitution. I ask that you vote against proposed resolution no. R2025-139s.
Kristina Rundell 4/18/25 5:14 PM Our country was built on immigration and immigrants have a right to be here. They need to be protected. Especially right now. Please do not let history repeat itself!
Wendy Wright 4/18/25 5:23 PM I completely support Resolution 2025-139. I support Keep Washington Working. Immigrants make Pierce County a great place to live. They contribute economically and culturally. Many own small businesses. Undocumented immigrants pay taxes but receive no benefits. They do not receive SNAP, TANIF nor any other support services. They work very hard and receive no taxpayer support. I do NOT want my tax dollars to go to any Pierce County law enforcement (sheriff's department,jails, salaries for prosecutors, etc.).I do NOT want my tax dollars to support Federal authorities. I do NOT want my tax dollars going to support Federal immigration "enforcement." Everyone in Pierce County should be safe,free from fear of authorities, respected and included.
Steven Mitchell 4/18/25 6:08 PM This is virtue signaling at its worst, state and local law enforcement agencies should assist the Feds removing dangerous illegals from the United States. More than welcome if you come into the US legally as millions have, if not get out !
Lynn Hauka 4/18/25 6:25 PM I'm a veteran who'd never exclude immigrants because in this rich country there's enough for all of us. We're all children of God.
Steven B Cairns 4/18/25 6:57 PM As courts nationwide scurry to rule against this president's administration, to curb his cruel agenda, and follow the law– e.g. due process– I find it amazing that anyone believes this is not a significant issue. He has already said plainly that "the homegrowns are next;" ANY of us who this regime deems insufficiently "loyal" are in danger. This is a matter of bedrock Constitutional law, and Pierce County law enforcement should NOT be conscripted to enable an illegal policy.
Eva Evans 4/18/25 10:40 PM Undocumented immigrants contribute billions of dollars in taxes each year, including sales taxes, property taxes (through rent), and in many cases, income taxes using taxpayer identification numbers. With their purchasing power, undocumented immigrants stimulate local economies by spending money on goods, services, and housing. Many undocumented immigrants work in essential industries, such as agriculture, construction, hospitality, and healthcare support. They often take on physically demanding jobs that are vital to the economy. Their labor helps sustain these industries and keeps food supplies, housing projects, and services running. Their diverse backgrounds and traditions enrich the cultural fabric of the U.S., fostering greater understanding, innovation, and creativity in fields like food, music, art, and beyond. Many undocumented immigrants become entrepreneurs, creating jobs and opportunities within their communities. They often establish small businesses that contribute to local economies.
Vicky Stanich 4/19/25 2:09 AM I strongly support Resolution R2025-139s which serves as Pierce County’s reassurance to support policies that protect the rights and safety of Pierce County residents, including immigrants and refugees. Please vote yes on Resolution R2025-139s to reaffirm safety and protection of the rights and dignity of all Pierce County residents in alignment with the Keep Washington Working Act.
Darin Harris 4/19/25 10:29 AM Title 8, U.S.C. § 1324(a) defines several distinct offenses related to aliens. Subsection 1324(a)(1)(i)-(v) prohibits alien smuggling, domestic transportation of unauthorized aliens, concealing or harboring unauthorized aliens, encouraging or inducing unauthorized aliens to enter the United States, and engaging in a conspiracy or aiding and abetting any of the preceding acts. Subsection 1324(a)(2) prohibits bringing or attempting to bring unauthorized aliens to the United States in any manner whatsoever, even at a designated port of entry. Subsection 1324(a)(3). Alien Smuggling -- Subsection 1324(a)(1)(A)(i) makes it an offense for any person who -- knowing that a person is an alien, to bring to or attempts to bring to the United States in any manner whatsoever such person at a place other than a designated port of entry or place other than as designated by the Commissioner, regardless of whether such alien has received prior official authorization to come to, enter, or reside in the United States and regardless of any future official action which may be taken with respect to such alien. Domestic Transporting -- Subsection 1324(a)(1)(A)(ii) makes it an offense for any person who -- knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, transports, or moves or attempts to transport or move such alien within the United States by means of transportation or otherwise, in furtherance of such violation of law. Harboring -- Subsection 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii) makes it an offense for any person who -- knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation. Encouraging/Inducing -- Subsection 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv) makes it an offense for any person who -- encourages or induces an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to, entry, or residence is or will be in violation of law. Conspiracy/Aiding or Abetting -- Subsection 1324(a)(1)(A)(v) expressly makes it an offense to engage in a conspiracy to commit or aid or abet the commission of the foregoing offenses. Bringing Aliens to the United States -- Subsection 1324(a)(2) makes it an offense for any person who -- knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has not received prior authorization to come to, enter, or reside in the United States, to bring to or attempts to bring to the United States in any manner whatsoever, such alien, regardless of any official action which may later be taken with respect to such alien. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), enacted on September 30, 1996, added a new 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(3)(A) which makes it an offense for any person, during any 12-month period, to knowingly hire at least 10 individuals with actual knowledge that these individuals are unauthorized aliens. See this Manual at 1908 (unlawful employment of aliens). Unit of Prosecution -- With regard to offenses defined in subsections 1324(a)(1)(A)(i)-(v), (alien smuggling, domestic transporting, harboring, encouraging/inducing, or conspiracy/aiding or abetting) each alien with respect to whom a violation occurs constitutes a unit of prosecution. Prior to enactment of the IIRIRA, the unit of prosecution for violations of 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(2) was each transaction, regardless of the number of aliens involved. However, the unit of prosecution is now based on each alien in respect to whom a violation occurs. Knowledge -- Prosecutions for alien smuggling, 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(A)(i) require proof that defendant knew that the person brought to the United States was an alien. With regard to the other violations in 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a), proof of knowledge or reckless disregard of alienage is sufficient. Title 8 U.S.C. § 1324a(a)(1)(A) makes it unlawful for any person or other entity to hire, recruit, or refer for a fee, for employment in the United States an alien knowing the alien is an unauthorized alien, as defined in subsection 1324a(h)(3). Subsection 1324a(2) makes it unlawful for any person or entity, after hiring an alien for employment, to continue to employ the alien in the United States knowing the alien is or has become an unauthorized alien with respect to such employment. Subsection 1324a(f) provides that any person or entity that engages in a "pattern or practice" of violations of subsection (a)(1)(A) or (a)(2) shall be fined not more than $3000 for each unauthorized alien with respect to whom such a violation occurs, imprisoned for not more than six months for the entire pattern or practice, or both. The legislative history indicates that "a pattern or practice" of violations is to be given a commonsense rather than overly technical meaning, and must evidence regular, repeated and intentional activities, but does not include isolated, sporadic or accidental acts. H.R.Rep. No. 99-682, Part 3, 99th Cong., 2d Sess. (1986), p. 59. See 8 C.F.R. § 274a.1(k).A scheme for civil enforcement of the requirements of § 1324a through injunctions and monetary penalties is set forth in § 1324a(e) and § 1324a(f)(2). In addition, 18 U.S.C. § 1546(b) makes it a felony offense to use a false identification document, or misuse a real one, for the purpose of satisfying the employment verification provisions in 8 U.S.C. § 1324a(b). Subsection 1324(c) of Title 8 specifically authorizes state and local officers "whose duty it is to enforce criminal laws" to make arrests for violations of 8 U.S.C. § 1324. There is also a general federal statute which authorizes certain local officials to make arrests for violations of federal statutes, 18 U.S.C. § 3041. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has held that 18 U.S.C. § 3041 authorizes those local officials to issue process for the arrest, to be executed by law enforcement officers. See United States v. Bowdach, 561 F.2d 1160, 1168 (5th Cir. 1977). Rule 4(a)(1) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure provides that an arrest warrant "shall be executed by a marshal or by some other officer authorized by law." The phrase, "some other officer," includes state and local officers. Bowdach, supra. Section 439 of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 added a new 8 U.S.C. § 1252c which provides that notwithstanding any other provision of law, to the extent permitted by relevant State and local law, State and local law enforcement officials are authorized to arrest and detain an individual who (1) is an alien illegally present in the United States; and (2) has previously been convicted of a felony in the United States and deported and left the United States after such conviction, but only after the State or local law enforcement officials obtain appropriate confirmation from the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the status of such individual and only for such period of time as may be required for the Service to take the individual into federal custody for purposes of deporting or removing the alien from the United States. In the absence of a specific federal statute, the validity of an arrest without a warrant for violation of federal law by local peace officers is to be determined by reference to local law. See Miller v. United States, 357 U.S. 301, 305 (1958); United States v. Di Re, 332 U.S. 581, 589 (1948). In approving a state trooper's arrest of persons who appeared to be illegal aliens, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit held, simply, as follows: "A state trooper has general investigative authority to inquire into possible immigration violations." See United States v. Salinas-Calderon, 728 F.2d 1298, 1301, n. 3 (10th Cir. 1984). The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held, in Gonzales v. City of Peoria, 722 F.2d 468 (9th Cir. 1983), that the structure of the Immigration and Nationality Act does not evidence an intent to preclude local enforcement of the act's criminal provisions. Id. at 474. Based on the pertinent legislative history, the court of appeals rejected the argument that since 8 U.S.C. § 1324(c) specifically authorizes local officers to make arrests for violations of 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a), and 8 U.S.C. §§ 1325(a) and 1326 contain no comparable provision, Congress must have intended that local officers be precluded from making arrests for violations of 8 U.S.C. §§ 1325(a) and 1326. Id. at 475. The decision warns, however, that the first violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1325(a) is a misdemeanor, and that if applicable state law authorizes law enforcement officers to arrest for misdemeanors only if committed in their presence, they would not be authorized to arrest aliens for illegal entry (unless the officers should happen to know that the alien had previously been convicted of illegal entry) unless they saw him/her cross the border. The disappointing aspect of Gonzales is the statement that an alien's "inability to produce documentation does not in itself provide probable cause (to arrest)." See Gonzales v. City of Peoria, supra, at 16. Pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1304(e), aliens are issued registration cards and must carry such cards with them at all times. Aliens who gain entry without the requisite inspection, and who therefore are not issued such cards, violate 8 U.S.C. § 1325. Consequently, a law enforcement officer confronting an alien who is unable to produce documentation arguably has probable cause to believe that a violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1304(e) (failure to possess documents or 8 U.S.C. § 1325(a) (entry without inspection) has occurred. (If the alien is undocumented and has been in the United States for longer than 30 days, he or she has also violated 8 U.S.C. § 1306(a)). Penalties -- The basic statutory maximum penalty for violating 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(i) and (v)(I) (alien smuggling and conspiracy) is a fine under title 18, imprisonment for not more than 10 years, or both. With regard to violations of 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(ii)-(iv) and (v)(ii), domestic transportation, harboring, encouraging/inducing, or aiding/abetting, the basic statutory maximum term of imprisonment is 5 years, unless the offense was committed for commercial advantage or private financial gain, in which case the maximum term of imprisonment is 10 years. In addition, significant enhanced penalties are provided for in violations of 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1) involving serious bodily injury or placing life in jeopardy. Moreover, if the violation results in the death of any person, the defendant may be punished by death or by imprisonment for any term of years. The basic penalty for a violation of subsection 1324(a)(2) is a fine under title 18, imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(2)(A). Enhanced penalties are provided for violations involving bringing in criminal aliens, 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(2)(B)(i), offenses done for commercial advantage or private financial gain, 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii), and violations where the alien is not presented to an immigration officer immediately upon arrival, 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(2)(B)(iii). A mandatory minimum three year term of imprisonment applies to first or second violations of § 1324(a)(2)(B)(i) or (B)(ii). Further enhanced punishment is provided for third or subsequent offenses.
Doug Thain 4/19/25 11:01 AM There is no need for this legislative statement. Instead, how about actually writing to assist support for deportation enforcement of illegal immigrant laws!
Ms. Johnnie Newell 4/19/25 4:30 PM Our State and or Cities should NOT e sanctuaries for illegal aliens. Just as we cannot go to another country and expect to be welcomed with open arms. Have you read what it takes to reside in Mexico a citizen from the US or any country? You have to prove your income and go through a process, you don't get to just cross the border and live because you want to, or your running from the law! I don't know why it should be okay here, there are criminals and terrorists here from other countries who want to kill Americans just because we're Americans. I suggest all of you rethink this policy before once of YOUR LOVED ONES COMES UP DEAD VIA AN ILLEGAL ALIEN!
jill bates 4/19/25 4:32 PM It is really disturbing to see so many comments are that show complete fact lacking thinking. Commenters should fact check themselves so they make educated decisions. No tax money goes to illegal aliens!
Shawn Hodges 4/20/25 6:02 AM Very opposed. We need to follow the Federal law on immigration. Period.
Marty 4/20/25 9:18 AM No
Mark Henry 4/20/25 9:35 AM If there is an immigration crisis currently, it’s that we don’t have enough immigrants. Look at the states that are forcing the deportation issue. Businesses are failing, farms can’t hire workers. We’ve created a scenario where a third of the country has been taught to blame a mysterious boogeyman to the point that they can’t see the reality of America. We do not have enough workers willing to do these jobs.
Carol A. Krona 4/20/25 1:19 PM I do not support any legislation that impedes the lawful deportation of illegal immigrants, nor any legislation that grants preferential treatment or status to any group of individuals.
Amber Sferrazzo 4/20/25 8:18 PM Stop the sanctuary city! We are STRUGGLING. True Washingtonians are STRUGGLING. Please focus on your citizens first. I support the sheriff 100%! He is doing what we voted for!
Carol Petersen 4/21/25 11:52 AM It is essential as a country which stands for equality and justice, and welcoming to those fleeing oppression and lack of opportunity that we do the right thing and affirm this resolution to affirm this commitment to equity and inclusive access to services. We stand for freedom from totalitarianism and oligarchy. We abhor hatred of people who are seen as different from us and unworthy of compassion and respect. Let us stand up for our values and principles.
Kristy Gledhill 4/21/25 1:36 PM I support this proposal and I abhor sheriff Swank's vow to call on ICE and the White House to give him "a hand" in rounding up what he inhumanely calls "illegal aliens." No human is illegal and our county deputies have no business aiding ICE in their work when we have PLENTY of legitimate needs here of the law enforcement officers we hire to keep us ALL safe. The "illegals" Swank and his supporters are talking about are humans. Being an immigrant -- whether documented or undocumented -- doesn't make a person a criminal. If anyone--citizen or undocumented immigrant -- commits a violent crime, there should be consequences. But I personally know many immigrants here who have families and jobs and savings accounts and plans and communities and many of them volunteer in this county to make others' lives better. With this resolution, Pierce County makes it clear that we see human beings with valuable lives when Swank and his supporters see a threat to their existence, with very little to back that up, aside from propaganda fueled by the president and his subjects. Please keep this resolution moving and do approve it on April 29.
Jessica German Doherty 4/21/25 7:15 PM This country was built by immigrants. This country needs its immigrants. Our agriculture, our universities, our healthcare, all rely on immigrants. Immigrants pay taxes, but often are not eligible for most welfare benefits or support services. Businesses will suffer without the immigrants that reside in Pierce county. We need to find ways to help those who are here, with no other criminal record except related to their immigration status, to be here legally.
Hannah Johnson 4/21/25 8:22 PM I strongly support this resolution. Our immigrant neighbors make our community stronger. Keep ICE out of our community. Fight against our federal regime with kindness and compassion. Fight against our sheriff’s hatred towards these communities.
Carol McGilliard 4/21/25 8:42 PM I support this important proposal . I believe immigrants and LGBTQ+ have a place in our community.
Kerry Kidman 4/21/25 8:45 PM I support this proposal as my commitment to maintain our sanctuary city status!
Clif Johnson 4/21/25 8:51 PM I strongly support this resolution
Fiona Johnson 4/22/25 6:18 AM Why does Keith Swank believe he is above the law? As a voter, I support proposal R2025 139s. I do not want ICE invited into our community or elimination of sanctuary city status.
Holly Howland 4/22/25 7:03 AM I support this proposal. Undocumented immigrants contribute billions of dollars in taxes each year, including sales taxes, property taxes (through rent), and in many cases, income taxes using taxpayer identification numbers. With their purchasing power, undocumented immigrants stimulate local economies by spending money on goods, services, and housing. Many undocumented immigrants work in essential industries, such as agriculture, construction, hospitality, and healthcare support. They often take on physically demanding jobs that are vital to the economy. Their labor helps sustain these industries and keeps food supplies, housing projects, and services running. Their diverse backgrounds and traditions enrich the cultural fabric of the U.S., fostering greater understanding, innovation, and creativity in fields like food, music, art, and beyond. Many undocumented immigrants become entrepreneurs, creating jobs and opportunities within their communities. They often establish small businesses that contribute to local economies.
Sara D. 4/22/25 7:05 AM We do not need a gestapo. Immigrants are family, friends, parents, and children. Immigrants make this county great. **He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. Deuteronomy 10:18-19**
Cindy S 4/22/25 7:30 AM Almost everyone, with the exception of indigenous peoples, is in America due to immigration. Immigrants built the United States. Immigrants continue to support and defend this nation. Today’s political climate makes a sanctuary city even more important, to protect basic human life, liberty and dignity. I support this resolution.
Karen Travis 4/22/25 7:33 AM The Sheriff needs to enforce the local laws. Our police resources are not slated to do a Federal job, such as immigration enforcement. Pass this resolution to keep our neighbors safe.
Maggie Karshner 4/22/25 8:04 AM Hate has no place in Pierce County. Our neighbors deserve to be safe from harassment.
Peggy Allen 4/22/25 8:12 AM I am in support of this proposal. The Department of Homeland Security has shown that they have no regard for our US Constitution by abducting and trafficking individuals without due process. Our county should not be party to this. We can't be swayed by the fear mongering and profiling that strips people of their rights guaranteed by our constitution.
Jill Johnson 4/22/25 8:40 AM I fully support this proposal. ICE has no place here. Immigrants add greatly to the rich diversity of our community. As the granddaughter of immigrants I hope we will open our hearts and pass this proposal.
Louise Anderson 4/22/25 8:58 AM Everyone in this country is entitled to due process. EVERYONE. We need to provide a safe place for everyone. If it's not safe for everyone, then it's not safe for ANYONE.
Jessica Mitchell 4/22/25 9:02 AM My family supports Sheriff Swank in abiding by United States federal immigration laws. Please do not pass Resolution 2025-139. Legal immigrants are welcome. Illegal immigrants, by definition, are criminals and should return to their country of origin and prove that they are willing to follow the rule of law in the first place by obeying our immigration laws and pursuing the path to legal citizenship. I have compassion towards those looking for a better life, but the reality everywhere on this earth is that there are consequences for breaking the law. Passing this resolution supports and creates more lawlessness, which leads to greater consequences for illegal residents and legal citizens.
Hillary Ryan 4/22/25 9:16 AM No human is illegal. This nation was created by immigrants, if you truely want to follow this logic than everyone but those with Native heritage should leave. I strongly support this resolution
Joel Hansen 4/22/25 9:25 AM Please oppose illegal activity of all types; including illegal immigration. If you believe we should allow more immigration, please write your legislators to change immigration laws. Defying federal laws is not the appropriate way to correct this issue.
Lori McDonald 4/22/25 9:29 AM Keep Tacoma a sanctuary city! Immigrants are not the enemy, fascism is.
Alex Scheel 4/22/25 9:37 AM Our immigrant neighbors should be supported and protected against this criminal Trump administration and it's lackeys like Swank. SUPPORT!
Julia W 4/22/25 10:40 AM I strongly support Resolution R2025-139s which serves as Pierce County’s reassurance to support policies that protect the rights and safety of Pierce County residents, including immigrants and refugees. Please vote yes on Resolution R2025-139s to reaffirm safety and protection of the rights and dignity of all Pierce County residents in alignment with the Keep Washington Working Act.
Karin Dhaese 4/22/25 11:09 AM ICE has no place in our city. Please affirm our cities support for all residents regardless of immigration status.
Holly Braaten 4/22/25 11:33 AM Our local immigrants need to be kept safe from what the federal administration is doing.
A Palm 4/22/25 11:43 AM Sherrif Swank doesn't get to violate state law just because he feels like it. No ICE, no fascism in this city or state.
Courtney Putnam 4/22/25 12:11 PM I APPROVE! We must affirm the rights of ALL residents!
christina Hansen 4/22/25 2:13 PM You can’t have it both ways ! You either do the job of protecting the public as you are sworn to uphold or not. You can call it whatever you choose, but to do less or oppose those tasked with that responsibility, is Wrong !,
Terry M 4/22/25 5:08 PM I am in strong support of this resolution. and I strongly encourage Robyn Denson t do the same.
LC 4/22/25 6:03 PM Immigrants belong here. If we are not a safe place for Immigrants, than everyone except the tribes need to leave. They are the backbone of most of our industries and unfortunately many are unpaid or underpaid but work 7 times harder than many of the average Americans. Keep the proposal. If we repeal this, whats to keep them from repealing everything else that protects our citizens?
AB 4/22/25 6:09 PM Immigrants pay taxes, have SSNs, and do more for this country than most of the citizens here. Keep Tacoma a Sanctuary City. Don't make this place a bigger joke than the rest of the PNW makes us out to be.
Seri Hamm 4/22/25 6:17 PM I strongly support this proposal and urge the Council to pass it. Immigrants are a critical part of our community. There is no reason for the Pierce Co sheriff’s department or any other county agency to use our resources for Federal immigration enforcement.
Kristi Acosta 4/22/25 6:29 PM I support this! Especially for everyone to have an inclusive community, regardless of where they’ve come from.
Megan March 4/22/25 6:37 PM I support this proposal and request you keep it moving to pass. I do not support Sheriff Swank taking illegal action simply because he feels it is unconstitutional. He is not upholding his oath of office to dutifully serve and abide by our constitution and apply and enforce the laws within that constitution. ICE has no business in our county or state with how they operate—not announcing who they are, not having proper warrants, wearing plainclothes and masks to hide their identity, forcefully and illegally detaining people even if they are here legally—this kind of lawless and reckless behavior should not be welcome here. Immigrants, whether they be undocumented or asylum seekers are being vilified when in fact they have communities here that they contribute to. They also pay taxes even though they do not receive the benefits of doing so like the rest of us. They contribute to our local economy and our communities, and they should feel welcome and protected here. Everyone should be. We are supposed to be a nation that cares about its people. ALL of it’s people. By passing this proposal, we will be taking a stand against those that lie and vilify this vulnerable group of people and we will be helping them to feel safe and protected against the illegal and cruel actions being taken against them. Thank you.
Emily Willard 4/22/25 7:34 PM I support this proposal because anyone living in the United States has a constitutionally protected right to due process. The vast, vast majority of people who have come to this wonderful country do no harm. Immigrants are a valuable part of our community and deserve to live here in peace. It is important to welcome all people to our community so that they feel safe and that they belong. Diversity makes us stronger. I stand tall in solidarity with my immigrant neighbors.
Kristin Pool 4/22/25 9:18 PM I strongly support Resolution R2025-139s. ICE has no place in pierce county. Please affirm our communities support for all residents, regardless of immigration status. Immigrants are the people who made this country and each of us adds to the dynamic diversity of our community. No human is illegal.
Charlene Hamblen 4/22/25 9:21 PM As a descendent of European immigrants and a person with friends, coworkers, and known undocumented hardworking immigrants, as well as a citizen and resident of Pierce County for the past 65 years, I fully support this resolution and necessary steps to protect persons from being illegally‘disappeared’. Thank you for your courage in doing the right thing. This resolution does not protect persons who commit actual crimes and statistically undocumented persons are less likely to commit crimes, therefore the fear of undocumented persons being promoted is inaccurate and not helpful.
Matthew Selfors 4/22/25 9:27 PM Hello, my name is Matthew Selfors, and I am a Precinct Committee Officer in Pierce County. I want to urge everyone to vote in favor of this resolution. It is crucial that we support and protect our neighbors, especially the ones who can't stand up for themselves. When a rogue sheriff, effectively accountable to no one, decides to take the law into his own hands, we the people need to stand up in opposition. Vote yes on R2025-139s and say no to ICE and Sheriff Swank!
K. K. 4/23/25 3:50 AM ICE is a plague and the detention center one of the great shames of Tacoma. We need to take care of everyone in our city - a rising tide raises all boats and we have a chance to take a stand against pointless, harmful racism. Also against the unfettered power that ICE seems to think it holds to kidnap American citizens, as well as everyone else, off the street. Keep Tacoma safe, keep violent ICE agents away!
Kelsey Hilmes 4/23/25 8:30 AM Immigrants are critical to our workforce in Washington. They are vital to our farms and contribute in many other ways. Our location to the Ports also means we are the temporary home to many legally entering refugees. We must continue to make Pierce County a place where people can participate in the workforce and communities without discrimination or fear of being profiled by law enforcement without cause.
Christy McDaniel 4/23/25 12:41 PM Immigrants are LESS likely to commit violent and property crimes. They work here. They are our neighbors. They pay taxes. They are a benefit to our communities and should have access to county services.
G Brown 4/23/25 1:00 PM I support Resolution R2025-139s. Let's stop persecuting people. The vast majority of immigrants are neither a threat nor a burden. They contribute to our communities and our economy. They are here to create a better life for themselves their families, just like my ancestors. Educate yourself about the immigration process--it's literally impossible for most people to immigrate here legally. You would do the same if you had to.
JoAnn Fritsche 4/23/25 3:59 PM The majority of immigrant individuals & families here are law-abiding people who contribute to our county by working hard, founding businesses, & paying taxes. They should be welcomed, treated with dignity, and respected.
K. O. 4/23/25 4:00 PM I appreciate and support this proposed resolution. This is an ethical and humane decision. We tend to speak from our rights but to forget what our duties are, especially through the lens of a global citizen, we can do a lot better for each other.
Maya Neff 4/23/25 4:25 PM Whether you personally like immigrants and refugees or not, each person in the United States is guaranteed due process. Whether you are a citizen or not. It is in the constitution. As the current federal administration is violating that portion of the constitution with regard to whomever they feel like, our law enforcement shouldn't be helping them.
Kristi Martinez 4/23/25 9:06 PM I support due process for all humans.
Megan Selvage 4/23/25 9:14 PM I support this legislation and ask the Council to pass this directive.
Sharon L Blaylock 4/23/25 10:35 PM I support this legislation and ask our council to vote to pass it
Maria Rubatino 4/23/25 10:37 PM Immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than citizens. They are tax payers, helpful to our economy and generally better citizens than “legal” ones. Every single report shows that immigrants are good for America. Birthright citizenship is a made-up idea, so just because my ancestors stole this land longer ago doesn’t give me any more right to be here than them. We need to grow up. This global game of “finders keepers” is disgraceful.
Eva Robinett 4/24/25 5:55 AM No county funds, facilities, property, or personnel shall be used to investigate, assist, or cooperate with enforcement of federal registration or surveillance programs or policies that target Pierce County's residents solely on the basis of their race, religion, immigration status, or national or ethnic origin.
Sandy Wusterbarth-Brown 4/24/25 7:13 AM Respect and due process are cornerstones of a functioning society. No person is illegal. The process to becoming a naturalized citizen should be direct, unchanging one. Allow workers who support our economy and who are law-abiding an avenue to become a citizen with dignity.
Linda Zehnder 4/24/25 7:26 AM I am in support of protecting due process rights for all residents of Pierce County, in alignment with our state law. I also hope that all attempts to break the law will be dealt with, even if it is initiated by our current sheriff . Thank you
Susan Gordon 4/24/25 10:14 AM I wholeheartedly support RESOLUTION NO. R2025-139s affirming the county's commitment to the civil rights of all residents and especially immigrants. I support the Keep Washington Working Act to limit local law enforcement participation in federal immigration enforcement. I particularly endorse the language in Section 4 of this resolution to ensure that "no county funds, facilities, property, equipment, or personnel shall be used to investigate, enforce, cooperate with, or assist in the endoforcement of federal registration or surveillance programs, or any other policiies that target Washington residents based solely on race, religion, immigration or citizenship status, or national or ethnic origin." Immigrants are the lifeblood of our nation. President Trump's cruel, racist policies have already torn families apart. These people are our friends and neighbors, hard-working and caring people who want nothing more than a share of the American dream. Tell Sheriff Keith Swank to stop this nonsense and focus on the real criminals. End the fear that has engulfed our immigrant communities.
Peter Jun 4/24/25 11:21 AM Right now we need to be coming together to support each other. As you can see, there is a lot of hate in the public comments, and a lot under the mask of 'supporting veterans' or whatever. The same people who would balk at veterans not getting enough attention don't say a thing about VA benefits being cut by this administration. It's not about that, it's about cruelty. Ignore the people who have allowed the devil to seed their hearts with hatred under the guise of protecting someone else- it's all just a seed of hate, and the cruelty given a facelift. Choose charity and kindness.
Isabella Carreras-Thresher 4/24/25 10:56 PM As a resident who values justice and compassion, I support Resolution No. R2025-139s. Ensuring that local law enforcement is not entangled in federal immigration enforcement builds trust with immigrant communities, encourages cooperation with public services, and promotes public safety for everyone. This measure reflects our shared values of dignity, respect, and the protection of all residents, regardless of status.
Ernie Oliver 4/25/25 12:31 AM Keep Washington Working is all about making sure our state stays strong, safe, and fair for everyone — including immigrants who live and work here. Immigrants are a big part of Washington’s workforce — from farms and construction to tech and healthcare. KWW helps protect their right to work without fear, which keeps our economy steady and growing. When immigrants trust the police, they’re more likely to report crimes and help keep neighborhoods safe. KWW limits how local law enforcement works with ICE, so people aren’t afraid to call for help when they need it. This law helps families stay together and lets people focus on building their lives — going to work, taking kids to school, starting businesses — instead of worrying about being targeted by immigration agents. KWW makes sure that local agencies like schools, health services, and police focus on their jobs, not immigration enforcement. That’s what public services are for. Washington should be a welcoming place where people are treated with dignity. KWW reflects our state’s values — fairness, opportunity, and respect for all.
D Tilstra 4/25/25 9:13 AM I support this legislation that protects every citizen from illegal search and seizure. Undocumented aliens are not the real threat to our country. Losing our constitutional rights is paramount here. We offer documentation to anyone who arrives here. We are all descended from immigrants and refugees. Immigrants make a significant contribution to the US economy.
Nancy Ringstad 4/25/25 9:13 AM I support this resolution R-2025-139s and we all need to stand up to ICE bullying and targeting. Due process is a fundamental rule of law in our country. The Keep Washington Working Act applies to our entire state and is based upon the US Constitution. We need to uphold the rule of law and treat each other with respect and dignity.
Catherine Jordan 4/25/25 10:27 AM I enthusiastically support this resolution to help ensure that Pierce County is a community where everyone feels safe, welcomed and connected.
Courtney Stowe 4/25/25 10:39 AM We do not need Keith Swank acting on behalf of Oierce County citizens to invite ICE into the sheriff’s department.
Courtney Davis 4/25/25 10:44 AM I am fully in support of this legislation. We need to be a county that supports and welcomes ALL into it. Thank you for creating this proposal and I am proud to stand behind it.
Payton Swinford 4/25/25 10:54 AM I am deeply troubled by the lawless approach the federal government has been taking to deportations. If our undocumented neighbors lose their right to due process, none of us have access to due process. We need our local government to be bold in defending our rights. Not assisting these federal agencies is a good first step.
Michael Whalen 4/25/25 11:11 AM It is important as a community we are a welcoming county to immigrants. Having immigrants in my family I am glad Executive Mello is affirming pierce county as a county for all people.
Angie O'Tinker 4/25/25 11:19 AM Immigrants bring strength to Pierce County with their knowledge, their cultures, their labor. Immigrants are as much a part of the communities of Pierce County as anyone, and deserve to know that the County stands with them. Make Pierce County a sanctuary!
Colton Rose 4/25/25 11:22 AM I work closely with a wide variety of residents in Pierce County. They all deserve basic dignity and respect. The Pierce County Council should stand with the residents of the county.
k Walters 4/25/25 11:33 AM I see many comments here claiming "Pierce County residents need help first." This sounds reasonable except for the fact that immigrants ARE Pierce County residents. Were you people born yesterday? Do you not see your Filipino, Pinoy, Somalian, Ugandan, Sudanese, Mexican, Colombian, Samoan, Vietnamese, Russian, Ukrainian, Syrian neighbors? Do you not go outside or talk to people, are these folks not your friends and colleagues and classmates? Becoming an "immigrant sanctuary city" is a very slight measure that does not even guarantee protection against kidnapping of legal residents, green card holders and even CITIZENS from being kidnapped, having due process withheld and being reported to countries they are not even from. This is the reality of America right now. Look up CECOT, and then inform yourself on conditions in NWDC. People are also being denied actual deportation to their home country and being held indefinitely in criminally neglectful and abusive conditions without proper food, water, healthcare or even blankets. Our local labor organizer Alfredo Juarez was just detained and is being held in these crowded conditions in Northwest Detention Center. Throwing your neighbors under the bus will not save you. If you care for the junkies on the street, get involved in local mutual aid and harm reduction efforts. Join the hardworking coalitions and cohorts of service providers who spend day and night helping folks get services and providing compassionate assistance on the street. We need you. Be part of the actual solution to your communities problems and quit calling the cops and ICE on people due to your bias and lack of curiosity about the world. This is Puyallup land after all - at one point you were an immigrant too. Don't forget. Not to mention, many of the people who have come here seeking a better life were displaced by US military aggressions or interventions or extractive global industries...or even drug cartels whose main demand comes from OUR businessmen and recreational drug users. It's not just poor people who use. If you've ever so much as enjoyed a Bahn Mi from Vien Dong restaurant, you can do due diligence and learn Vietnamese history, US history and have some dignity and respect. Without immigrant farm workers being exploited for pennies, we would have no food on our tables. Immigrants built this country. Please stop displaying this embarrassing level of ignorance and entitlement, it's a stain on the city of Tacoma, GRIT city, a city where countless people have come to find work and yes, home.
Holli Finch 4/25/25 12:29 PM Being here illegally is a civil offense and not criminal offense. Why help the feds treat people inhumanely? Undocumented immigrants, no matter what Fox tells you, aren't getting benefits. Stop being angry at humans and be angry at billionaires and the state regime media, Fox
Rob Huff 4/25/25 12:45 PM I write in support of R2025-139s and agree that Pierce County should be a welcoming place for everyone. Immigrants to our county and our county add to the richness of our communities, and it is critical that our county is a welcoming place. Please ensure that our new neighbors are welcome, supported, and integrated into our communities.
Tara Grace 4/25/25 12:46 PM I fully support this proposal. No one is “illegal” on stolen land. We have plenty of resources to support this. There is no scarcity of warmth, resilience, and inclusivity amongst the people of Pierce County.
Luca 4/25/25 12:50 PM We need to protect all our neighbors, including document and undocumented immigrants. During this resurgence of discrimination, Pierce County has the opportunity to say that we will not be part of the hate if we pass this proposal.
Natalie Franz 4/25/25 12:59 PM Immigrants make our city great ~ they should live in peace welcomed to Tacoma, not in fear of ICE!
Jeannine Mitchell 4/25/25 1:01 PM We are a country of emigrants, turning our backs to people looking for freedom and safety is Unamerican. We have to be the better side of this issue. Please pass this proposal!!
AZ 4/25/25 1:20 PM I wholeheartedly support this proposal. Contrary to what many in these comments have been saying, the majority of undocumented immigrants do pay taxes. Undocumented immigrants paid $997.3M in Washington State taxes for the year 2022 alone. On a nationwide scale that number is closer to $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes for 2022. Even if you don't care about the tremendous physical, psychological, and emotional suffering that will be inflicted on the people of this community should the proposal not pass, you must acknowledge that undocumented workers contribute vitally to the economic functioning of our state and deserve to reap the benefits of the taxes they pay. That is to say, at a minimum, they deserve the right to safety from state persecution. SOURCE: https://itep.org/undocumented-immigrants-taxes-by-state/
Emily Queen 4/25/25 1:24 PM Immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees are humans who deserve a safe life. They can't have that in their birth country. They make our communities stronger and more culturally rich. They support this country immensely. We need to support them.
Priya 4/25/25 1:46 PM Immigrants make our communities better for everyone. We should do everything we can to make immigrants safe and welcome in Pierce County.
Milo Moss 4/25/25 1:50 PM I strongly support keeping our city a sanctuary for all people. Immigrants are a vital part of our thriving city, and as a community we will not stand for the human rights violations of campaigns to round up and deport our neighbors. Please stand in support of this proposal, the masses are counting on you.
rich angelone 4/25/25 1:58 PM I strongly support keeping our city a sanctuary for all people. Immigrants are a vital part of Pierce county’s economy and wellness. As a community we will not stand for the human rights violations of campaigns to round up and deport our neighbors. Please stand in support of this proposal, we are counting on you.
Orion B. 4/25/25 1:59 PM All immigrants and regugees deserve safety and equal access to services. Tacoma as a sanctuary city is a step toward fighting fascism and as things escalate sanctuary cities will only become more vital.
Sarah Gray 4/25/25 2:22 PM This resolution sends a clear and compassionate message: that Pierce County is a place where everyone can feel safe, valued, and welcome. In a time when fear and uncertainty continue to surround immigration issues, it is more important than ever that our local government stands firm in its values and ensures that no resident is afraid to seek help, report a crime, or access critical services. By supporting this resolution, the Council is not only aligning with state law and human rights, but also recognizing the immense value that immigrants and refugees bring to our community. These neighbors are workers, students, entrepreneurs, and parents. They are part of the fabric of what makes Pierce County vibrant and resilient.
Nancy Elise Atwood 4/25/25 2:26 PM Please support this humane legislation. We've had enough of hate.
Autumn Star 4/25/25 2:26 PM Unless you are Native American, we are all immigrants here, and we all started out as illegal immigrants. I support this proposal because I believe when we support each other we are all better off for it. As a community we will not stand for the human rights violations of campaigns to round up and deport our neighbors. Please stand in support of this proposal, we are counting on you.
Debbie Bozanich 4/25/25 2:40 PM I feel safer in a welcoming community. Let’s treat each other with kindness whenever possible. Thank you for this proposal.
Aubri Frey 4/25/25 2:59 PM Unless you are Native American, we are all immigrants here, and we all started out as illegal immigrants. I support this proposal because I believe when we support each other we are all better off for it. As a community we will not stand for the human rights violations of campaigns to round up and deport our neighbors. Please stand in support of this proposal, we are counting on you.
David Mauk 4/25/25 2:59 PM ICE is rounding up immigrants, regardless of their status, and incarcerating and deporting them to a foreign gulag without due process. That is bad enough; we don’t need to have our local police authorities aiding ICE unless they are looking for a violent person for whom there is an arrest warrant. Most migrants are peaceful and just trying to live their lives. They are now in a country that has no process for allowing them to become documented and given a path to become citizens. Statistics show that far fewer migrants are violent or commit crimes than natural born citizens. Arrest the real criminals, but don’t criminalize people who are trying to establish themselves here, work, pay taxes, and contribute to the communities they live in. There is far too much crime in the US, and in Pierce County. Make this the priority, to find and arrest these perpetrators, whether citizens, documented or undocumented migrants.
Janeen Provazek 4/25/25 3:14 PM Please pass resolution R2025-139s. Our country has been built and maintained by immigrants. We have always been a very diverse country, which has added to our strength success. Our current President is married to an immigrant, who then brought her family to our country. It is essential at this time to support and protect our immigrants who have comtributed so much!!
Kaden Bolton 4/25/25 3:15 PM The current process is redundant, disenfranchises immigrant/refugee/migrant communities, and creates longer wait times for local employers. I applaud the sponsors for this piece of legislation.
Amy Coppeans 4/25/25 3:38 PM I support this proposal. Every person should be treated fairly and have a safe place.
Laura Christensen 4/25/25 3:42 PM I strongly support this resolution affirming Pierce County's commitment to public safety, equity, and inclusive access to services for immigrants, refugees, and all residents. Immigrants are vital members of our community. They work in essential industries, open businesses, care for our families, and pay billions in state and local taxes every year—including here in Pierce County. Nationally, undocumented immigrants contribute over $96 billion in federal, state, and local taxes annually—far more than the $3.7 billion paid by the entire Fortune 500 combined—despite being excluded from many public benefits and protections. This resolution is the smallest step we can take to acknowledge their humanity and rightful place in our community. It doesn’t grant new rights—it simply affirms that Pierce County believes in safety, dignity, and access to services for all residents, regardless of where they were born. Pierce County should not participate in—or support—harmful and divisive national efforts that seek to round up families and tear apart communities. Instead, we must be a beacon of inclusion, protecting all residents from unjust separation and ensuring that everyone—regardless of immigration status—feels safe and supported here.
Shauna Hansen 4/25/25 3:46 PM I wholeheartedly agree with the resolution to affirm Pierce County's commitment to inclusive access to county services for immigrants, refugees and all residents. Because of all of the very loud federal government rhetoric threatening the safety of immigrants and refugees living in the US, it is important for local government to issue its own statements ensuring that local government is still committed to supporting our local immigrant communities and providing county services equitably to all residents regardless of immigration status. We value our immigrant neighbors and are standing with them in this uncertain time.
David Duckworth 4/25/25 3:59 PM I support everyone’s human rights, and I want to live in a place where the government makes that protection its priority for everyone, not just a chosen few who have decided that the happenstance of their birth makes them more deserving.
Rebecca L Greene 4/25/25 4:26 PM I think out of continuing God's love, that we should be a sanctuary state. Everyone is welcome in my religion so those in need should always be helped even with kindness. Prophet Muhammed had a perfect heart and I think we should bring back love and kindness. ❤️🌹
Brian Brandt 4/25/25 4:32 PM I strongly support.
Mic Didier 4/25/25 4:47 PM Immigrants benefit our cities and communities. We are better for having them here and all residents are put at risk when some are targeted. I support this effort to keep the immigrants in our communities and all of us safe.
Kristin Moultine 4/25/25 5:31 PM Our immigrants are an Important part of our community. Many have been here for decades, work hard and live peaceful lives. The Trump administration has put horror into children’s lives as they feel the stress of their parents being targeted for deportation! Please don’t send folks “back” to a country they don’t even know!
Elizabeth King 4/25/25 5:58 PM I fully support this proposal. I see too much hate and division in the world today. Let Pierce County be a safe, welcoming and inclusive place for all people.
John King 4/25/25 6:10 PM Immigrants add immeasurable value to our community. I believe that by helping legal immigrants to get established in our city we will all benefit.
John Cameron 4/25/25 7:37 PM Mello's proposal aligns with the values of our community. Treat people like people.
Kayla Zimmer 4/25/25 8:05 PM Everyone in our community deserves dignity and support. People who were not able to make it through a severely broken immigration system should be treated humanely. We reside on stolen land, so it doesn’t make sense to classify fellow human beings as illegal.
BRANDEN LEACH 4/25/25 8:09 PM Immigrants are good for the economy and for growing a diverse culture. Consider the many foods immigrants have brought to our shores. Immigrants pay taxes but do not enjoy all of the benefits of fully vetted citizens. Furthermore, many come here seek asylum from untenable political conditions in their home countries and for which this country has, until now, a process to take these people in. I strongly oppose ICE in everything it does, its tactics, and all assistance to ICE as provided by our local law enforcement authorities. Thank you.
Mark Craypo 4/25/25 8:23 PM The proposal is reasonable. The county will do the legal minimum necessary to support the federal government's efforts on immigration and customs enforcement. That is reasonable. The feds aren't going to get any extra help is what this is saying. Good for us. The expense of what ICE and other federal groups are doing is only getting worse and we don't need to assist in the persecution of immigrants and others.
Cheryl Tobie 4/25/25 8:50 PM I support this proposal. Please take a stand against cruelty and lack of process. We should protect individuals from unlawful federal action.
Heather Evans 4/25/25 9:13 PM Our immigrant neighbors bring such a wealth of resources to tacoma. We are the city of destiny and all our residents deserve to feel welcome here. As the federal administration rides a tide of hate, division, racism and eugenics our local governments must remain staunch opposed to any semblance of bowing to that poison rhetoric. Please pass this. Thank you
Shannon Lynn 4/25/25 9:14 PM I am absolutely in support of declaration and promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Including all the neighbors who seem to be in support of “othering” people who have different circumstances. My kids and nieces and nephews deserve to live in a place that promotes kindness and community.
Sander Lazar 4/25/25 9:25 PM I am in strong support of R2025-139s. I support Pierce County being inclusive of all residents including immigrants and refugees. Having Jewish heritage, I come from a long line of people who have been unwelcomed, shunned, and worse, and I do not wish that treatment for anyone.
Amanda 4/25/25 9:33 PM Pierce county is a warm and welcoming group of citizens made better by our wide variety of immigrant communities. The only answer to a health county and country is providing a safe and welcoming place for everyone.
LuAnn Martin 4/25/25 9:49 PM Tacoma and Pierce County have been sadly known in past years as the place that threw out that the Chinese, that interred the Japanese on the Fairgrounds. More recently we have proudly hosted The Tacona Refugee Choir and built the Chinese Reconciliation Park. Are we going to move backwards into the terrible past, or keep moving forward into a happier and more prosperous future for all of us? This proposal has a vital part to play in a better future.
Eileen Newton 4/25/25 10:14 PM Jesus would want us to be a welcoming and protective community for all.
Greg 4/25/25 10:24 PM I love it. We have needed comprehensive immigration reform for decades. That unmet need has caused uncomfortable situation for some immigrants who need to stay here despite limited legal avenues for them to do so under current law. Contrary to popular belief, most people here illegally pay taxes, including into systems like social security which they can't draw from, they can only pay in. They also contribute to our local economy and pay sales tax. Regardless of status, immigrants are much less likely to commit crimes. My friends and neighbors who are immigrants and refugees are all wonderful hardworking people who love this country. Affirming this commitment is good for our economy and good for public safety. I love it when the compassionate thing to do is also the sensible thing to do. No tough decision on this one!
Elizabeth K Modic 4/25/25 10:26 PM We need to make Tacoma a welcoming place to all people. We need to show the immigrants and refugees that are the backbone of our community that we support them and value them. Many people have immigrants in their family background. The US is a nation built on the labor of immigrants. Let's support this proposal. Thank you.
Linda Hahn 4/25/25 10:33 PM I fully support this proposal. Human rights include treating all people with decency and respect, which includes feeling safe.
Hope Wisher 4/25/25 10:34 PM In the current political climate, it is important that we affirm that Pierce County values all residents, immigrant or not.
Bob 4/25/25 10:46 PM Dear Pierce County Council: The law is the law. The County cannot not cooperate with ICE full stop. I felt I had to lead with that because our Sheriff said what he said. We are not required to under federal law, and we shall not under state law, full stop. Ask any lawyer who doesn't work for Trump. ICE can request help, but law enforcement agencies in this state must decline. If you have any questions talk to your lawyer. With respect to the welcoming part, I leave that to you and your conscience. If you're racist, do you. Oh by the way immigrants drive the economy and take care of your Dad, and are nice to people, if you bother to know them. Less than 1/100 of 1% of immigrants make FOX News, although that seems to be popular entertainment network. 99.99% are are your neighbors. Hardworking family people with kids, like you. They are regular, good people. Don't listen to Steven Miller, he is a ghoul. If you call yourself a Christian, ask yourself: what would the Pope, or better yet, Jesus do? Do that. This should not be a close call. WA law shits on show-your-papers authoritarianism. See, e.g., the WLAD. This is a soul check.
Elyssa T. 4/25/25 10:56 PM As a resident of Pierce County for the last 20+ years, I am in full support of this proposal. In a time when people in our county feel more emboldened than ever to harass their fellow Americans simply based on perceived nationality, we need to stand up for those being targeted and send a firm message that such intolerance has no place in our community.
Mary Clare Benson 4/25/25 11:04 PM I support the proposal and value living in a welcoming county and city. This is not proposing spending tax dollars at all, rather it asks that we not use County resources to assist with Federal ICE efforts to round up immigrants. ICE’s current sad record of detaining and deporting people without due process is appalling. As others have noted, the vast majority of us are descendants of immigrants.
JUANITA LARSON 4/25/25 11:30 PM Everyone deserves a chance for a better life.I most certainly support this resolution.
Julianna Van Enk 4/25/25 11:40 PM I support this proposal from a more pragmatic approach. Illegal immigrants are statistically less likely to be involved in violent crime. They pay more taxes into a system that they will never reap the benefit of, and they are employed in jobs that most legal citizens do not want. While I don't want people here illegally, many of our current systems are dependent on illegal immigrants, whether we choose to acknowledge that or not. Until that is changed, we cannot carte blanche throw them out. Additionally, the Trump administration has shown its complete disregard for human rights, which illegal immigrants are granted by the US constitution, and is using them as both a scapegoat and testing ground to attack the rights of legal citizens. I will defend their basic rights because if I don't, I know mine are next.
Christiane Clarke 4/25/25 11:47 PM Tacoma should be a place that welcomes all
Patricia Blau 4/26/25 12:17 AM A welcoming and diverse community is good for all of us. I support this proposal.
Ruth Tiger 4/26/25 5:57 AM It is vital that we maintain our commitment to equity, supporting and protecting those in our community from discrimination and punishment! Vote yes on this proposal!
Rachael Maya 4/26/25 7:27 AM These people are our neighbors. Help enrich our community . I strongly support the directive giving support to immigrants in Pierce County. Please pass this directive at the council meeting
Carla Moschetti 4/26/25 7:43 AM I fully support this resolution to keep Pierce County a welcome place for all, including immigrants and refugees. We need to stand up against the hatred and fear of others that is so prevalent in today's world.
Rosi Miller 4/26/25 7:55 AM I support keeping us a sanctuary city/county especially in light of the current federal administration allowing ICE agents to pick up people that have legal status. Those with illegal status are members of our community and we need to protect them. Especially in light of the illegal actions of many ICE agents in the last few months.
Sarah Ostheller 4/26/25 8:06 AM I am Native American and I support my immigrant siblings. Many of them are Native American too and have been criminalized for crossing boarders which shouldn't even exist. We all benefit when people are safe.
Nick Greenaway Cirignano 4/26/25 8:12 AM Pierce County has a responsibility to actively protect all of its residents no matter their immigration status. Right now in other parts of the country fully legal law-abiding immigrants are being detained and deported for nothing more than being from another country. I myself do not want to live in a county that allows that to happen. As for everyone saying we have to support veterans and not immigrants, those are not mutually exclusive, we as Pierce County residents can do both. Please don’t listen to hate and vitriol. For so long in this country we have demonized immigrants for wanting what we all have being born here, a chance at the American Dream. If we would rather be a place that people fear go ahead and deny this resolution but frankly that is not a county I want to live in if we are going to allow thugs to attack and remove people all for the civil crime of not having the right paperwork. Pierce County should be a place where people feel safe to go to work (and yes immigrants pay taxes just like everyone else when they purchase goods. Washington doesn’t have state taxes and collects state tax through sales tax). Where immigrants feel safe to send their kids to school. Pierce County should be better than the federal government right now and be a place that holds the idea that all people are created equal and should have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Janet Thiessen 4/26/25 8:42 AM Please protect our friends and neighbors in Pierce Co.
Kenneth Miller 4/26/25 8:48 AM Lets be frank. Some industries, notably construction and agriculture, rely heavily on undocumented workers. Letting law abiding people live and work here is good for everybody.
Kristen Nivling Izquierdo 4/26/25 8:48 AM I support this proposal. All residents should feel safe to access county resources, as we are an interdependent community. All people should be treated with dignity. This proposal elevates that value at our local level in a chaotic time in the federal government.
Jenelle 4/26/25 9:16 AM Pierce County should remain a safe place to be an immigrant and now more than ever as the federal government uses increasingly violent and unjust tactics to target productive and valued members of our community based solely on their place of birth. Let Pierce County be the example to the world that when cultures collide, we are stronger for it, can live in harmony, and direct our efforts toward things that actually threaten our safety and well being. Let Pierce County also be written into history as a community that stood strong in the face of the cruelty and injustice of this adminstration, refusing to fold to billionaire bullies.
Janet Hubbard 4/26/25 9:22 AM The United States has been a welcoming country for people of diverse backgrounds. Pierce County should do no less. Immigrants make us stronger. Citizenship is a complex process. All people in our country have a right to direct process. We need to be a welcoming community.
Michele Slotemaker 4/26/25 9:30 AM Immigrants make us better. Please pass this legislation.
Patricia Kilpatrick 4/26/25 9:33 AM Immigrants, especially those seeking asylum and those on various visas, make Pierce County, WA state, and our country NET better. Many studies prove this with concrete data. The Immigrant Superpower, by Tim Kane, a Stanford University research fellow, argues for the mostly open door. Kane focuses on three ways in which immigrants enhance U.S. power: brawn (labor), bravery (military service), and brains (innovation). Kane explains how each wave—from the huddled European masses to newer arrivals from Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere—has been willing to take on work its predecessors no longer will. Thus jobs aren’t stolen. Output increases. Tax contributions increase. For U.S. states, immigration growth and GDP move in tandem. (And OECD members with higher proportions of immigrants are richer than those with lower ones.) And, don't get side-tracked with lumping all immigrants as criminals. A very small percentage commit crimes in the US and our criminal justice system can legally take care of them as they do US-born criminals (of which there are many more as a percentage). Welcome immigrants and our country will be richer and culturally better in many ways for it!
Lisa Olson 4/26/25 9:59 AM Aa a longtime resident and taxpayer of Pierce County. I respectfully oppose Resolution No. R2025-139s. I have serious concerns about the resolution’s financial impact, potential risks to public safety, and lack of clear implementation plans. First, the resolution’s promise of expanded services comes at a time when Pierce County’s budget is already strained. The 2024-2025 biennial budget of $3.2 billion required $20 million in annual general fund cuts to maintain stability, with costs rising faster than revenues. Adding new services for specific groups, such as immigrants and refugees, could further stress resources, potentially increasing taxes or reducing funding for critical programs like sheriff staffing, which is already down from 202.5 deputies in 2022-2023 to 188.5 in 2024-2025. The council must provide a detailed cost analysis to ensure taxpayers are not burdened. Second, the resolution’s implications for public safety are concerning. Pierce County has a high crime rate, ranking in the 8th percentile for safety among U.S. counties, with a crime rate of 55.01 per 1,000 residents. If this resolution limits cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, it could exacerbate safety challenges by reducing accountability for undocumented individuals with criminal records. The Sheriff’s Department, already facing 34 deputy vacancies, cannot afford policies that complicate law enforcement efforts. Public safety must remain the top priority, as 73% of residents indicated in the 2024-2025 budget survey. Finally, the resolution’s goals of “equity” and “inclusive access” lack specificity. Without clear metrics or implementation plans, it’s uncertain how the county will manage increased service demands or ensure fairness for all residents. The council should prioritize transparent, data-driven policies over broad commitments. I urge the council to reject Resolution No. R2025-139s or amend it to include a cost-benefit analysis, explicit public safety protections, detailed implementation strategies, and prioritize Sheriff Swank’s constitutional approach to public safety. Pierce County needs policies that support, not hinder, our Sheriff’s Office. Pierce County needs fiscally responsible policies.
C Read 4/26/25 10:08 AM I am writing in support of Resolution R205-139s. I was thrilled to attend the city council hearing which declared Tacoma a sanctuary city, and though I am not surprised, I am thoroughly disheartened to know that there are bigots who would seek to overturn this ruling under cover of federal precedent set forth by a self-described dictator acting as the president of the US. By overturning this ruling, the city of Tacoma communicates to its community - and to the rest of the state - that no human being is safe if the President decides they are his enemy. The current federal administration will not stop with immigrants (many of whom are here lawfully, though no human being is illegal!) - they will come for transgender citizens, disabled citizens, poor and unhoused citizens (and this administration will create more poor and unhoused people with its backward economic policies), even veterans if we do not stand now for the most vulnerable among our community. Every immigrant makes this community stronger, and this city was and continues to be built on the love and labor of immigrants. No estan solos. Do the right thing - both now and for the legacy of this city and its residents - by upholding this council ruling and following up on your promise to make Tacoma a sanctuary city.
Tony A. 4/26/25 10:24 AM we have a moral obligation to protect the most vulnerable community members who live, work, go to school, & pay sales taxes that generate income for the municipality. we cannot let Othering dehumanize any of us and allow law enforcement to criminalize and round up any one of us; citizen status is not a qualifier for who is "good" or "bad". America is made stronger by diversity. Monoculture makes us weak-minded and susceptible to group think and further social decline.
R B A 4/26/25 10:26 AM This country was built by immigrants. Immigrants enrich our community. I support this proposal and hope it passes. All humans deserve a safe life, no matter where they are or where they are from, regardless of immigration status.
Julian Padgett 4/26/25 10:36 AM What is the message you take from visiting the Chinese Reconciliation Park? We have a shameful history of hurting and expelling our neighbors who help make up our community. This is that moment you’ve been asked about since history class as a child… what would you have done if you were there? Like another community member said, it’s a soul check. Will you follow federal laws no matter how horrifying and dehumanizing they become? Or will you use your power here to make the laws more just and protect your neighbors who are being hurt based on the random lottery of where they were born? I support this proposal. I hope you do too. Let’s make our laws more just.
Kendall Burch 4/26/25 10:40 AM I support this proposal.
Katherine Niall 4/26/25 11:04 AM I wholeheartedly support this resolution.
Liz Goff 4/26/25 11:11 AM I wholeheartedly support this. Undocumented immigrants pay taxes and are NOT eligible for social services so really, they are giving us handouts. They do not benefit from the very system they contribute. If you are complaining about veterans and citizens not getting their rightful entitlements, stop voting for politicians who consistently vote to cut these services and entitlements in the name of “lower taxes” while cutting taxes for the rich (see Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg) and engaging in insider trading and laughing to the bank. Propositions like these are not the reason you’re struggling financially. Either learn and wake up or stop disguising your racism and xenophobia as concern for your fellow citizens. Stop scapegoating citizens and other vulnerable populations. Coming to the US without documentation is a misdemeanor and does not call for cruel punishment. Terrorizing our communities will only make them less safe.
Laura Langer 4/26/25 11:39 AM I support this proposal. Immigrants and refuges deserve safety, support, and protection from the brutal, cruel tactics of the current federal administration. All people deserve due process regardless of their status. I would be proud of Pierce County for taking a stand against such cruelty and caring for all of its residents.
JARRETT MORRIS 4/26/25 12:34 PM I support this proposal. Mass deportation of Latino people is just thinly veiled racism. Now is the time to decide if you stand for a self declared white nationalist ethno-state. There is no other framing or spin to this question. White nationalism Or Standing for human rights.
Damita O'Dell 4/26/25 12:41 PM I strongly support this resolution. Thankyou for affirming that EVERYONE in our community deserves humanity and safety. I am deeply concerned about the PC Sheriffs commitment to depriving people of due process.
Jessica Loving 4/26/25 12:45 PM PLEASE APPROVE THIS MEASURE! Our country was built on the promise of freedom for those who are denied it in their countries of origin: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
Amelia Morris 4/26/25 12:48 PM I am writing in support. I believe in equal rights and have always admired and appreciated Washingtons (and more specifically, Tacomas) welcoming, accepting, and kind approach that encourages folks from everywhere to live here and contribute to our economy. Lets show some kindness and genuine human decency
Bethany Manley 4/26/25 1:13 PM Tacoma must be a place that welcomes all people and persons regardless of ethnicity or origin. We must implement and maintain anti-racist policies that create a city built on inclusion and moral integrity.
Rebecca Bowers 4/26/25 1:35 PM Tacoma should support and welcome immigrants in our town. They are the backbone of this nation and contribute more than many natural born citizens do. Also who will be next on their list of people to remove?
Adrian Nelson 4/26/25 2:35 PM Thank you for continuing to uphold the dignity and wellbeing of all who live, work and play here. Make no mistake, targets will not stop at "illegal immigrants." They will come for all of us eventually unless we stand together. Thank you for standing up for what is right. I fully support this declaration.
JUDITH A BEYLERIAN 4/26/25 2:56 PM Proposed Resolution No. R2025-139s This resolution should be passed. It is decency. It honors our nations history and the people who came here before us.
Beryl Emberson-Nash 4/26/25 3:20 PM Please do not pass this resolution
JMB 4/26/25 3:24 PM The Breshears family opposes this legislation. Stop the nonsense.
Kristine Stroad Moore 4/26/25 4:38 PM I support Resolution 2025-139, and am saddened by all the negative, inhumane comments here. Immigrants make our community richer, both economically and culturally. They are role models of hard wok and dedication. Undocumented immigrants pay taxes but receive no benefits. Most have fled terrible, life threatening conditions in their first countries. We should be a supportive, loving community. Everyone in Pierce County should be safe, free from fear of authorities, respected and included.
Eric Burkhead 4/26/25 4:50 PM We are residents AND citizens of Pierce County (for 45 years) and we oppose this proposal. Please vote NO. The idea is ridiculous. Thank you.
Katie Baird 4/26/25 5:25 PM I support this resolution. I want my county to be a welcoming place for all.
Mark Crewson 4/26/25 5:57 PM Many citizen comments I've read regarding this proposal are misinformed. Migrants who come into this country seeking asylum have entered the country legally, following the procedures we have established. They go through a legal process to determine that their need is valid. If not, they are deported. These laws support the same moral code as might be applied to a person pounding on your door pleading for protection from an imminently dangerous and abusive situation. I think we all would at least hear their story before delivering them by force, back to their abuser. The other common misconception in the comments I've read is that since we have other important problems that are also important, It is not like the most wealthy and powerful government in the world can only address one problem at a time - especially if one of our priorities is to find funding to give tax breaks to wealthy persons and corporations. Effective governments such as ours can and must address the wide variety of problems that we face, as ours always has, to insure citizen well-being, the order of law and our prior commitment to support and protect the world we need to ensure our long-term safely and the dignity of all our fellow human beings.
T 4/26/25 6:03 PM Full support. There's no hate in my heart.
Marty 4/26/25 6:11 PM ICE is the gestapo and the less presence they have in this city the safer we all will be. Immigrants at large do not pose a threat to anyone. They pay taxes, they contribute to the economy. More than that though they are human beings just trying to build/maintain/live a life and they deserve the same dignity extended to someone who was born here.
BARBARA moberg 4/26/25 6:13 PM Oppose. This if passed will not allow any funds to investigate, enforce or cooperate with federal immigration. We don’t want this… we have no protection. If pierce county doesn’t want to follow federal law then I suggest those democrats move to country where they run things the way you want, not here, not in A Merida. The people of Pierce county don’t want your rule, t your taxes or your politics.
Shamara Jack 4/26/25 6:13 PM We all should be in support of this. The location where somebody was born shouldn’t impact basic human rights. We all need to show empathy. It shouldn’t even be a question.
Bradley 4/26/25 7:31 PM As a white male, I know that I’m descended from immigrants who colonized, and stole this land from the native inhabitants! I also know that the US has had plenty of involvement in decisions and conflicts that have negatively impacted many people’s lives, around the world. When people are then fleeing their homeland, for better opportunities, it isn’t a fast process to become a citizen here. I also know that undocumented immigrants who are working and getting paid, generally have employers who take out standard taxes, social security, etc. But those immigrants will never see those social security funds again, so they are actually helping the system. If they are not paying taxes, it’s likely due to being paid extra low wages under the table, for jobs that many others would avoid. As the land of the free, and home of the brave, we should be doing more to help people, not hinder them!
Kathryn Webster-Minnick 4/26/25 8:19 PM I can not believe there are still those that want to support illegal aliens. They have come into our country without going through the legal process. Now, you want to support them with taxpayers monies and free medical. Do we not have enough dependant American's? I am totally opposed to this bill. It is non American and goes against the people of America who just voted no to the illegal invasion. You are corrupt and are intentionally disregarding a Federal EO signed and dated by the President of our United States. Shame on this body. Shame on you.
Jeff Sproul 4/26/25 8:48 PM I strongly oppose Resolution No. R2025-139. I sincerely request the Pierce County Council oppose this resolution as well.
Alan Wolfe 4/26/25 9:34 PM After reading many of the comments on the Resolution, I was struck by all the "America 1st and "I'm tired of supporting all these illegal aliens with my tax dollars" language.We are a nation built by successive waves of immigration. Even Native Americans came from somewhere else. Each wave has brought us cultural and economic enrichment. As I was growing up, my family , poor as we were, felt it our civic duty to help those who emigrated here. Once we helped a family who escaped from East Germany before the wall fell. We eased their transition to life in America. And I remember my father and his friends deliberately moving their morning coffee meetings to the Circle K Cafe to boost the chances of success for the Korean family that had recently purchased the property. It is not the refugees who are to blame, it is the broken immigration system that both Republican and Democratic administrations have neglected to overhaul. Although I do remember a bipartisan effort just before the last election. Evidently they don't want it fixed, they would rather have it as a cudgle to incessantly beat "bleeding heart libs" over the head with. The majority of these refugees are not illegal or lazily living off our tax dollars. They have come here like many of our ancestors seeking a better life for their families. If they don't have documents, they don't get SNAP or Welfare. They are not poisoning America's bloodlines. Many are doing jobs that evidently we no longer want to do. Most of these people are paying taxes and thereby fueling America's economic engines. What has happened to the American spirit? Are we no longer able to offer a helping hand? Has it come down to "Get as much as you can while you can, the next guy be damned." It is not the immigrants who are responsible for the way Veterans are treated or that the homeless crises keeps growing. We are the wealthiest nation ever on Planet Earth. The problem has way more to do with the fact that about 1 % of us controls the vast majority of that wealth. It says a lot that in light of such incredible largess, we seem to becoming more selfish and less sympathetic for the latest wave awaiting a chance at the American dream. For these reasons I heartily endorse Resolution R2025 - 139s. And a final reminder to council members that Due Process is a uniquely American right. We should all hold it dear.
Carol Rich 4/26/25 10:39 PM The US Constitution was written for Americans. It is not a world Constitution, it is a US Constitution. Under the Constitution, non citizens do not possess the same rights. It is not about being kind or nice or racist, it is about following the laws of the United States.
Josh Tenenberg 4/27/25 6:42 AM I support this proposal.
Elizabeth Knox 4/27/25 7:43 AM I am writing in support of continuing to make Pierce County as a welcoming place for immigrants. Immigrants have made this country a success both socially and economically. I do not want the Sheriff to collaborate with ICE to hunt down who have come here from other countries. If people haven't done anything wrong, let them live in peace and continue to contribute to making our county a great place to live.
Laura Ingalls 4/27/25 7:58 AM No human is illegal. As someone else said: “Our communities benefit when we welcome immigrants to Pierce County. Their status in our broken system shouldn't matter.”
Julie Andrzejewski 4/27/25 8:04 AM I strongly support R2025-139s and O2025-510. Everyone on this list, except for the indigenous peoples of North America, is a descendent of immigrants who came to this country to escape tyranny and cruelty, looking for a better life. As one person correctly pointed out, "no one is 'illegal' on stolen land". Further, the deportations taking place are illegal (declared so by Trump appointed judges) under current laws as they provide no opportunity for due process, a foundational concept and law under our Constitution. In fact, we have just seen three children who are citizens also deported without due process. In addition, it is the US who in many cases interfered in the government's of the home countries of these immigrants that created conditions for violence and terror that many people are fleeing. And, it is the US people and economy that will suffer if these people are deported - as they are vital to our economy in so many ways. The uninformed and mean spirited people who want to deport "others" may find themselves victims of a government that ignores due process, court orders, and substitutes cruelty for empathy, respect, and kindness. All ethical and religious belief systems hold these values. I urge our County Representatives to stand up for justice and liberty for all, as we pledge every day.
Lucinda and Donald Joel Wingard 4/27/25 8:14 AM Our community is enriched by people who hail from a variety of cultures and languages. Our son thrived in elementary school learning beside a diligent student from Vietnam. As public school teachers (now retired) our classrooms were made more vibrant with differing points of view. We benefited from a welcoming reception when we traveled to and lived in other countries. Raised in the Christian tradition, we believe giving aid to refugees is our duty. As the indigenous peoples here welcomed European settlers centuries ago, we can do the same.
Jenny Holmstrom 4/27/25 8:16 AM I support the resolution affirming Pierce County's commitment to public safety and inclusive access to all residents and immigrants. The state should take the stance in favor of ensuring the fundamental rights of all people.
Becky Frehse 4/27/25 8:33 AM Please support Resolution R-2025-1395 that commits our county to treat everyone including immigrants to be treated with dignity as human beings. I support this Resolution thatstates our commitment to grant access to public services to immigrants and residents.
Justin B Nearing 4/27/25 8:52 AM If our neighbors are "illegal," than anyone who has ever had a traffic or parking citation is an illegal driver. It's a civil matter NOT a criminal one. In addition, such people are the LEAST likely to commit violent crime. Also remember, our nation was founded by "illegal aliens."
L.G. 4/27/25 9:13 AM Strongly support, we cannot enable the abhorrent practices of ICE under this administration.
Terri Pugh 4/27/25 9:16 AM Of course we welcome and protect our immigrants. This is the way to court prosperity and cultivate healthy business. These anti immigrant and anti inclusive attitudes drive the poverty and sorrow in red states. The reason why the west coast is so much wealthier is our recognition that all people have value to our overall economy and communities as a whole. I don’t understand how people can court the poverty of red states and try to emulate what doesn’t work at bringing in business. This is why WA is the 4th largest donor state stuck paying for the poor policies of the red parts of America. WA pays more federal money than we receive to the tune of $2289 a person while TX, a welfare state takes more federal money to the tune of $71.1 billion from the US federal government. We need to stick to our policies that are working to make our communities healthier, wealthier and stronger and avoid the policies that cause poverty and debt. Protecting our immigrants is why we are doing better than most of the world. Thank you Ryan Mello!
Kisha Gorbski 4/27/25 9:37 AM I believe that Pierce County needs to focus on the needs of those residing in Pierce County. We should not be spending time and tax payer dollars on immigration issues. We need to address speeding, driving under the influence, robberies, etc. THAT is what should be focused on by Pierce County police. Take care of the community already here. Let ICE handle ICE things.
Alicelia and Robert Warren 4/27/25 9:39 AM My husband and I fully support Proposed Resolution No, R2025-139S to prevent Sheriff Swank from making the sheriff's department a tool of ICE round-ups. The sheriff believes Pierce Co. should ignore the Keep Washington Working Act and protections in place that do not interfere w. federal laws requiring cooperation between his department and ICE. His beliefs are simply his opinions which he has a right to. However, Sheriff Swank does not get to decide what laws are constitutional any more than we do. We urge all council members to support Pierce County's and state laws around immigration enforcement. Alicelia and Robert Warren University Place WA 98466
Jacqueline Plattner 4/27/25 9:44 AM Please support this measure to ensure that immigrants are afforded safe unencumbered access to Pierce County services.
Kristen Reed 4/27/25 9:53 AM I strongly support Proposed Resolution No. R2025-139S. It is a deeply troubling reality that ICE has deported U.S. citizens, including children — not just undocumented immigrants. In many cases, people are being sent to foreign prisons without due process, a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution. The Trump administration’s repeated refusal to adhere to Supreme Court rulings has shown that it cannot be trusted to protect constitutional rights. We are sliding down a dangerous path, one disturbingly reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s. History shows us how quickly democratic institutions can be undermined when basic rights are ignored. Immigrants are not the source of our problems. scapegoating them only distracts from the real issues facing our communities. Furthermore, it is not, and should not be, the role of local police departments to enforce federal immigration policy. Their duty is to serve and protect everyone in the community, regardless of immigration status. I urge you to support this resolution and take a stand for constitutional rights, justice, and humanity.
Rick Schoen 4/27/25 9:54 AM I am not an expert on legislation or on immigration. I lean toward supporting this legislation because there are many good people caught in the system as is. We do have a problem in this country and it seems to me that our federal legislature has failed it's duty by not seriously fixing the immigration laws and system; that should be an apolitical issue and should have been done long ago. It is a complex issue with many facets. Yes there may be some outlaws amongst those that are here and they need to be dealt with fairly, justly and firmly. But there are migrant workers and many others here doing needed work and often not treated fairly. Let's fix the system and meanwhile treat all folks fairly and justly. Inducing fear is not the answer.
Laura Gardner 4/27/25 10:03 AM I strongly support this resolution. We are a country of immigrants and all persons living in our county, regardless of immigration status, deserve to be treated humanely. I tutor legal permanent residents (green card holders) who are preparing for their citizenship interviews. These people come from all over the world seeking the American dream. Yesterday, I tutored immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Yemen and Mali. These individuals are in our country legally and are a vital part of our economy. I respect and support them.
Courtney O'Catherine 4/27/25 10:58 AM I strongly support in the name of community, empathy and humanity.
Jess 4/27/25 11:03 AM I fully support this proposal. We must care for all of our neighbors.
Lydia Zepeda 4/27/25 11:04 AM This resolution is needed to provide clarity to serve and protect the 103,000 or 11% of our population who are foreign born. Immigrants are afraid, they need to know they can call 911 and access other services. This resolution lets them know that Pierce County remains committed to providing services to residents and that Pierce county will follow state law and not waste scare resources on immigration enforcement. Civil immigration enforcement is the responsibility of federal law enforcement, not state and local officials.
Jan Taylor 4/27/25 11:28 AM Gov. Inslee’s Executive Order 17-01, Feb.23, 2017, plainly declares Washington State's position regarding immigrants, refugees and all residents. Under Keep Washington working Act (passed 2019) The law applies to Washington State Patrol, all county sheriff’s offices, police departments, jails, Department of Corrections (DOC) and school resource officers. They are now PROHIBITED from: Routinely asking about and collecting place of birth, immigration status, or nationality, unless doing so is necessary for an ongoing criminal investigation.* Stopping or detaining someone to determine immigration status. Giving ICE/CBP non-public information personal information (eg. home address).* Allowing ICE/CBP access to interview people in custody about civil immigration violations. If ICE/CBP has access, the person in custody must provide written consent before ICE/CBP can interview them. Holding people on ICE/CBP detainers or administrative warrants. Notifying ICE/CBP when someone will be released from custody.* Denying someone services, benefits, privileges or opportunities due to the presence of an ICE detainer, notification request, or immigration warrant. Accepting free interpretation and translation services, or language classes from ICE/CBP. Entering into agreements with immigration agencies to perform immigration enforcement duties (eg. 287(g) agreements). Entering into contracts with immigration agencies to detain immigrants for ICE/CBP (eg. Intergovernmental Service Agreements (IGSAs) to rent jail bed space). * DOC exempted from these. Sheriff Keith Swank must be compelled to adhere to state law!
Michael Darcher 4/27/25 11:32 AM I too support R2025-139s. Frankly, I'm stunned, make that disappointed, by all the vitriol aimed at this disadvantaged segment of our population. Granting another person basic human rights doesn't take away yours. If "legality" is the bone of contention for some negative responders, perhaps their energies would be better served reining in ICE, whose deportation decisions seem both arbitrary and vindictive in whom it seeks to deport. And certainly illegal when it opts to deport U.S. citizens and others. C'mon, people. Show a little heart. There's no need to vilify the disadvantaged. There's room for all of us on this planet.
C J Rikerd 4/27/25 11:45 AM In support of this proposal, I would like to quote former President Reagan from one of his last speeches. “We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people—our strength—from every country and every corner of the world. And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation. While other countries cling to the stale past, here in America we breathe life into dreams. We create the future, and the world follows us into tomorrow. Thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity, we're a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy and new ideas, and always on the cutting edge, always leading the world to the next frontier. This quality is vital to our future as a nation. If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.” https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/remarks-presentation-ceremony-presidential-medal-freedom-5?
Tracie Tuss 4/27/25 12:22 PM I fully support this proposal and the commitment of Pierce County to support ALL of its community members.
Joanne M Lisosky 4/27/25 12:38 PM I fully support this legislation. I want to live in a county where I trust my grandfather would still be welcome. You see, my grandfather was an immigrant. He came to this country for a better life. He worked hard and paid his taxes. I wonder how many of you raging against “others” have an immigrant in your background. We are a country of immigrants and I believe all people deserve full protection of the law. No one should be demonized because of where they were born or the color of their skin. In fact, our constitution guarantees this. Key protections include the right to due process, equal protection under the law, and freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. Sorry folks. but immigrants have fundamental constitutional rights here in these United States of America and Pierce County!
Diane Shaughnessy 4/27/25 12:41 PM Immigration is the responsibility of the Federal Government. It is not the responsibility of Pierce County. Pierce County should fully comply with immigration law and not seek to circumvent that law in any way shape or form.
L Bock 4/27/25 1:12 PM I approve of ResolutionR2025-139. I urge you to approve this Resolution. All elected officials need guardrails. Thank you
Alma Villegas 4/27/25 1:14 PM As a former City of Tacoma CIRA (Commission for Immigrant & Refugee Affairs) Commissioner, I strongly support this resolution.  This country was founded and built by immigrants. It saddens me to see the amount of misdirected and misinformed hatred reflected by the majority of the public comments from Pierce County residents. I urge the council to stand behind Executive Mello’s immigration directive (R2025-139s) and have the courage to send a strong message that all are welcome here.  That we will NOT be a community that is blinded by hatred and fear. We will NOT be a community that vilifies the most vulnerable. But that we WILL BE a community that embraces and sees the contributions of hard-working people.   I hope that people who are erroneously blaming immigrants for taking away resources, do their homework and remind themselves, that unless they are 100% of native indigenous heritage, they also come from an immigrant ancestry. Please educate yourself on the wealth of the contributions of all immigrants, especially the many contributions the undocumented bring to our local communities. Jobs that many of us wouldn't even dare do. Not to mention the millions in taxes they pay every year, which they may never be able to claim, with the hope that one day it will be recognized and they will earn their citizenship. Yes, they pay taxes, taxes that we all benefit from. Please vote yes on this resolution because, without immigrants, we are not the UNITES STATES of AMERICA.
Barbara Hadley 4/27/25 1:29 PM Please support and pass this proposal. It is a humane response to what is becoming a national embarrassment.
T Fore 4/27/25 1:37 PM This is particularly important now when immigrants and visa holders are being subject to illegal kidnapping and detention. Please take a stand against the cruelty and lack of due process!
Helen thorsen 4/27/25 2:24 PM I agree strongly that Tacoma needs to be a welcoming city for immigrants, diversity and all who live here!
Noel Hagens 4/27/25 3:03 PM I strongly support this resolution. All people should be treated with dignity and respect. This nation should learn from our past and weigh our values rathen than continuing to deport people, even U.S. citizens and those whom the courts of our land have declared to be safe from mistreatment.
Mary Kohli 4/27/25 3:27 PM I support this resolution and urge my council member to do likewise. We all need to be treated fairly. Immigrants have been and are essential to our community. The federal government is currently acting in ways that often times ignore our Constitution. Let's preserve our democracy.
Joanna Robinson 4/27/25 4:52 PM I strongly support this proposal. Immigrants are an integral part of our communities. They pay taxes, they pay into Social Security. My 88 year-old mom was in the hospital 3 times last year, and I'm guessing 50% of those who cared for her (CNAs, nurses, technicians, and physicians) were immigrants. Local law enforcement has NO PLACE collaborating with ICE or other federal immigration enforcement officials! Keep Tacoma a Sanctuary City!
Darryl Ainbinder 4/27/25 5:55 PM All the immigrants from our great grandparents era were undocumented. They arrived at Elis Island or similar ports and underwent due process with a pathway to citizenship. Undocumented immigrants await petitions for asylum. Undocumented immigrants have a much lower rate of crime than US born, and in 2024 contributed $ 96 Billion to Social Security and Medicare for which they will not be eligible. They contribute to our community. Loving Gods teach us to welcome the traveler.
L Vanderbilt 4/27/25 7:20 PM I was very concerned when I learned that the sheriff of the county in which I live and work wanted to defy our local law and make my community unsafe and focused on fear. I want my property taxes to support a safe and welcoming community for all! I strongly support this resolution and would ask my neighbors who are expressing a mean and selfish way of life to truly consider their priorities And the Information they are getting about undocumented immigrants. We do not want to live in a police state. We have a Constitution that provides due process and a rule of law that makes our communities safe. Grow love in your heart and live peacefully with your neighbors.
Zain 4/27/25 7:20 PM I support this legislation. To quote the late former president Ronald Reagan: “We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people—our strength—from every country and every corner of the world. And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation. While other countries cling to the stale past, here in America we breathe life into dreams. We create the future, and the world follows us into tomorrow. Thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity, we're a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy and new ideas, and always on the cutting edge, always leading the world to the next frontier. This quality is vital to our future as a nation. If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.”
Erika Bartlett 4/27/25 8:44 PM Respected Executive Mello and Pierce County Council Members - I'm writing to express support for Proposed Resolution R2025-139s. I've been a resident and volunteer in Tacoma's Eastside since 2017. My neighbors are business owners, childcare workers, healthcare workers, agricultural workers, and friends. Many are immigrants who, regardless of their status, our household stands in solidarity with as they become open targets of hate and ignorance under the current federal administration. I'm so sad to hear in our community meetings the fear that my neighbors are living with. That they are afraid to seek healthcare, to participate in community, to go to school and work right now. I hear their desperation as they describe the unknown possibilities beyond being detained - what will happen to them, what will happen to their children. I have also heard fear in the community of raids on tribal lands, where racism alone makes tribal members vulnerable to immigration sweeps. My little cousin, a member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe and a public servant for the State, showed me how their tribe was offering free id's to members to protect them from sweeps. She is angry and hurting that people are being displaced and brutalized with no regard for due process, and reminded me of Andrew Jackson's defiance of Worcester v. Georgia that preceded the Trail of Tears. Proposal R2025-139s will not only provide a legal path to prevent our public institutions from aiding federal terrorism against Pierce County residents, it will tell our immigrant communities that their dignity and safety is a number one priority. It will remind us all that public resources are meant to be invested in safe neighborhoods where we all belong. Thank you for supporting this resolution. Warm regards, Erika
Katie Jackson 4/27/25 8:44 PM I strongly support this proposal. I am deeply concerned for the safety of everyone in Pierce County. Important to note, our newly elected Sheriff Keith Swank recently stated on record that he is seeking to collaborate with federal ICE agents. This is deeply concerning and directly contradicts his legal responsibilities under the 2019 Keep Washington Working Act. ICE has been illegally detaining people with little or no due process. American citizens, legal immigrants, permanent residents, and undocumented immigrants alike are living in fear of detention and deportation. Those who argue ICE is only detaining "illegal immigrants" are blind to the reality of the current situation. ICE and the federal administration are terrorizing people. If undocumented immigrants do not have due process, none of us do. It is the duty of local government within Washington state to follow the 2019 Keep Washington Working Act, which specifically prohibits the Sheriff Swank from directly collaborating with ICE. Passing this resolution would further solidify these protections. I work at a local hospital with a large immigrant workforce, and I will not stand by and allow the government to demonize them. Some of these incredibly hard-working employees have an immigration status requiring them to pay into taxes and SSI/Medicare, benefits they might not ever be able to access themselves. Those who choose to paint these folks in a negative light, describing them as "free-loaders" or "lazy" clearly do not have any understanding of the challenges many of them face every single day just to scrape by. It is our duty as a community and society to protect our most vulnerable. I will not stand by and allow our government to terrorize and dehumanize our community members. We are stronger as a community when we are all safe and have access to basic needs.
Judith Kay 4/27/25 9:43 PM I support Resolution R205-139s because it is not a zero sum game that if certain immigrants receive our protection from deportation other citizens will get less. We need to refuse to be divided and instead, be one for all and all for one. We are naive to think that deportation without due process will only affect those without proper documentation. This administration has already deported legal residents--people holding valid green cards in line to become voting citizens. Any one us who voices dissenting opinions could be deported to a foreign country. Our county does not need to aid and abet the federal government in violating laws that guarantee everyone--everyone--due process. It is always right to oppose injustice because that is the best way to secure the resources that all groups--veterans, the unhoused, and more--deserve.
Maureen Mcmurray 4/27/25 9:49 PM I strongly support Resolution R2025-139s which serves as Pierce County’s reassurance to support policies that protect the rights and safety of Pierce County residents, including immigrants and refugees. Please vote yes on Resolution R2025-139s to reaffirm safety and protection of the rights and dignity of all Pierce County residents in alignment with the Keep Washington Working Act. There are too many incidents of people being taken away when they have a legal status as a refugee, an asylum recipient, or someone with a green card. These people have been granted legal status, but they are seen as criminals. They work hard and are trying to do the best for their families. We need to protect them from some of the illegal action of ICE. All people should have due process and ICE does not follow that. Children should not feel scared, people should not feel safe in a school, hospital or church. The Sheriff needs to protect residents from the unlawful actions of ICE and this administration.
Erin Meinershagen 4/27/25 10:58 PM We are better together - protecting immigrants and refugees will benefit everyone, including current citizens both now and in the future. Pierce County has a history of hurting the marginalized (stealing indigenous land, Chinese exclusion, Japanese internment, redlining, etc). It is time we take a proactive stance to make Pierce County a welcoming and inclusive place for a better future for us all. Please pass this resolution.
Mizu Sugimura 4/27/25 11:25 PM As the grandchild of 4 Japanese immigrants, child of 2 American born citizens of Japanese ancestry, niece of 7 additional American born citizens, and some 120,000 others unjustly imprisoned by the US government without due process during WW2. Family members who were forced to endure this injustice for which our government later apologized after our community organized to bring this matter to the attention of the nation, made it clear to subsequent generations to do whatever we might in our own times to ensure such an injustice never happens again. I unequivocably support this resolution, and applaud what affirmation of support our county leadership might offer regarding commitments to public safety, equity and inclusive access to county services for all persons listed in Resolution No. R-2025-139s.
Barbara Allen 4/28/25 5:02 AM I support this proposal
R. Dial 4/28/25 7:00 AM Did I understand correctly that the Pierce County Sheriff has announced an intent to violate Washington state law? If so, it seems that action is warranted beyond a council resolution. A lawless rogue sheriff is a danger to public safety. I didn't vote for Swank and will be sure to let my neighbors know of his intention. I stand with the council in defense of immigrants rights and support this resolution.
Nancy J Newman Chapa 4/28/25 7:06 AM R2025-139S Please continue to support our immigrants. They enrich and contribute to our communities and as human beings, deserve our support. Please do not deny all of us the opportunity to give and receive from one another. Thank you.
Gilbert A Chapa 4/28/25 7:27 AM This is not a republican or democratic issue.Basic human decency demands this resolution be passed.
Jaclyn Reese 4/28/25 8:41 AM The strength of our country comes from our diversity. The governments responsibility is the protection of human rights. I support this proposal to uphold a pillar of a safe and powerful democracy.
Zaid Velasco 4/28/25 8:59 AM Immigrants are the backbone of our country. They've help built our communities, contribute to our economy by spending their hard earn money at our businesses. To call them criminals or less than is a disgrace. We have citizens committing terrible crimes daily and we turn a blind eye because of their status. Preventing this from passing will only hurt us in the long run.
Erin Dilworth 4/28/25 9:03 AM I support this proposal. Immigrants make our county great.
Thomas Carroll 4/28/25 9:25 AM I strongly support this proposal.
Brooke Stegmeier 4/28/25 9:25 AM The County should not be positioning itself in opposition or in conflict with federal law on immigration. This is a misuse of county funds, may put federal funding for county projects at risk, and does not protect legal immigrants or citizens of the United States. I am in full support of legal immigration. Nothing should compromise their safety or right to live in our communities. However, illegal migrants should be returned to their countries of origin. Pierce County needs to demonstrate the compliance with law it expects of all of the rest of us.
Chris Camire 4/28/25 9:50 AM Public Comment Opposing Resolution No. R2025-139 – Protecting Criminal Aliens at the Expense of Law and Order Dear Members of the Pierce County Council, I urge you to reject Resolution No. R2025-139, as it represents a dangerous overreach that undermines the rule of law and jeopardizes the safety and interests of Pierce County citizens. This resolution is an attempt to protect illegal aliens at the expense of public safety, federal law, and the rights of legal residents and citizens. The Core Issue: Violating Federal Law to Shield Criminals The resolution specifically instructs that no county resources — be it funds, personnel, facilities, or equipment — be used to investigate, enforce, cooperate with, or assist in federal immigration law enforcement. This directly conflicts with the clear language of federal law, specifically 8 U.S. Code § 1324, which criminalizes harboring, shielding, or transporting illegal aliens. By endorsing this resolution, the County is essentially shielding individuals who have entered or remained in the country illegally from federal prosecution, placing Pierce County in direct opposition to federal law. Criminal Penalties for Harboring Illegal Aliens As laid out in federal law, individuals who knowingly harbor or conceal illegal aliens face serious criminal penalties, ranging from 5 to 20 years in prison, depending on the severity of the offense. It is reckless and dangerous to prioritize the protection of illegal aliens, particularly criminals, when they are actively breaking federal laws. Local officials must not abdicate their duty to uphold the law by offering safe havens for individuals who are actively violating it. Taxpayer Dollars and the "Resident" Smokescreen One of the most concerning aspects of this resolution is the deliberate language shift from “citizens” to “residents.” By referring to illegal aliens as “residents,” this resolution provides them access to taxpayer-funded services and entitlements that should be reserved for lawful citizens. Pierce County taxpayers should not bear the burden of supporting individuals who are not legally entitled to public services or resources. The notion that illegal aliens should be treated as “residents” and entitled to the same services as law-abiding citizens is a gross misuse of public funds. Consequences for Public Safety By allowing criminals to remain in the community without the cooperation of federal authorities, Pierce County is not only putting law-abiding citizens at risk, but is also encouraging criminal behavior to flourish. When criminal detainers from other jurisdictions are ignored, federal agents are forced to search for criminals in public settings, rather than detaining them while they are already in custody. This increases the danger to the public and further burdens already strained law enforcement agencies. The Agenda of Illegal Immigration On a national scale, the effort to protect illegal aliens has been exposed for what it truly is: an attempt to flood the country with a population that can be manipulated to create a voting base for certain political agendas. Washington state, unfortunately, is doubling down on this irresponsible initiative, and Pierce County should not follow suit. Our elected representatives should be prioritizing the safety, well-being, and rights of citizens, not illegal foreign nationals who do not have the same legal standing. Key Points of Concern: Councilmembers are elected by citizens to represent the interests of legal residents, not illegal aliens. Shielding criminal aliens from federal law enforcement is a violation of federal law, punishable under 8 U.S. Code § 1324. Detainers are issued for criminals, and not honoring them is criminal in itself. Legal migrants should not be disadvantaged by illegal aliens gaining rights they don’t have. Funding is finite, and every dollar spent on illegal aliens detracts from resources that should go to citizens and lawful residents. The average Pierce County citizen is unaware that their tax dollars are being used in this manner. In conclusion, the public safety risks, the undermining of federal law, and the misuse of taxpayer funds make this resolution an unacceptable proposal for Pierce County. I strongly urge you to vote NO on Resolution No. R2025-139. Thank you for your time and consideration. Chris Camire District 25-217
Daniel P Grey 4/28/25 10:09 AM At a time when the Federal Government is acting in an unconstitutional manner by ignoring directives of the Federal Court system, I do not want our local, County and State government to bend our will and rights to that of an authoritarian regime. When the Federal Court system has the final say in all things related to our US Consitution, than we can work closely again with our elected officials in Washington, DC. Until then let the laws we enact locally in adherence to the State and Federal Constitution, support the rights of all Washingtonians, whatever their place of origin.
Ellen Floyd 4/28/25 10:17 AM I support R2025-139s. Residents of Pierce County who are undocumented generally pose less danger to the community and may be fleeing violence in their birth countries. Please approve this Resolution for their safety.
Megan Cook 4/28/25 10:18 AM I very strongly support this proposal. We must take a stand against cruelty and lack of process. We have a responsibility to protect individuals from unlawful federal action.
Ken Manning 4/28/25 10:19 AM If we are a nation of laws then the law must be enforced. Government's primary purpose is to enforce the law. The law clearly state that you must immigrate legally to this country and that if you violate those laws one of the consequences is arrest and deportation. To say that no county employee can assist ICE is asking them to violate federal law. I ask you to reconsider your sponsorship of this proposal and assist in enforcing our country's immigration laws, not weakening them. Thank you, Ken M.
William Carroll 4/28/25 10:28 AM As a local government, we have an obligation to resist our current fascist federal administration. Regardless of who is in charge at the moment, our immigration system has been needlessly cruel and wasteful. Besides cruelty as an end-goal, why put more people into that system when it's worse for the people we lock up, and costs the government more money?
Scott B 4/28/25 10:33 AM OPPOSE this Resolution. I see a lot of comments about "kindness" in relation to those who have entered our country illegally. I don't blame these people for wanting to come here. But what about kindness for the rest of us that have to foot the bill for all these illegal immigrants? The Biden administration border policies flooded the US with millions of illegal immigrants without concern for our legal immigration system. Now we all pay the price.
Bill Orrange 4/28/25 11:00 AM I strongly support the directive giving support to immigrants in Pierce County. Please pass this directive at the council meeting.
A Dial 4/28/25 11:03 AM I support this resolution and it should be stronger.
Joy Caddock 4/28/25 11:16 AM I wholeheartedly support this proposed resolution. As a country have a responsibility to fair immigration and while this current administration is unlawful in their deportations we as a community have a responsibility to families who are being targeted and criminalized. Families belong together and the US is made better by immigrants.
Raven Zotti 4/28/25 11:26 AM Don't listen to the xenophobia, immigrants are people too and deserve to be treated as such. No human being is illegal.
David Tripp 4/28/25 11:29 AM I oppose
Rebecca Hoffman 4/28/25 11:34 AM As a person of faith, committed to justice, compassion and justice for all, I support this resolution. As a professional in the community, I have known many immigrants. They are hard-working, pay taxes, contribute to our local economy, and are good neighbors. By offering them inclusive access to services, it improves the health of our communities. Please pass this resolution.
Dan Leland 4/28/25 11:38 AM This is an unnecessary and unjust Resolution. I do not support it. A very bad way to spend the legal CITIZENS tax dollars. I am against illegal immigration.
Julia Anderson 4/28/25 11:43 AM we are richer as a community when we accept and support all residents.
Laura Young 4/28/25 11:49 AM Our county has so many issues to attend to, from infrastructure to unhoused neighbors. It is up to the Federal Government to manage issues of immigration. Our public resources, including schools, law enforcement, and municipal human services, should not be spent on responsibilities that rest with federal agencies and instead on the supports that we pay taxes to provide. Additionally, no one is illegal on stolen land.
Karen McDonald 4/28/25 11:49 AM I support all immigrants regardless of their status. These are human beings.
Kaitlyn Yang 4/28/25 12:27 PM All people are worthy of dignity and respect. Those of us who were born in the US did nothing to earn our citizenship, yet we are entitled securities affirmed in the resolution. Turning our backs on our most vulnerable neighbors in their hour of need would be abhorrent. No human deserves to be left out in the cold, no matter where they were born. To those opposed, I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people.
Alex Scheel 4/28/25 12:40 PM As a service disabled combat veteran, I find it incredibly disheartening that people are using my service as a cudgel against our immigrant neighbors. All people deserve to have a safe place to live, undocumented immigrants don't takeaway from the services I receive as a veteran. Please vote Yes on this proposal and keep our immigrant neighbors safe
Devin Rdyel Kelly 4/28/25 12:41 PM I am in strong support of R 2025-139S. Several Pierce County municipalities, the county itself, and our state legislature have established a clear, inclusive, democratically decided mandate to act as sanctuaries for our undocumented community members. It should be the job of government to follow the most inclusive, fair, protective laws possible -particularly when they are grounded in local context and 100% constitutional- rather than arbitrary Presidential decrees or orders. No human being is illegal. Stop our Sheriff from collaborating with ICE. Stop ICE from invading our communities.
Adora Day 4/28/25 12:45 PM I support this resolution, everyone within this county, regardless of immigration status, should be protected from harmful, discriminatory law enforcement. If we do not stand with our neighbors, who will stand for us?
Adrienne Ramm-Granberg 4/28/25 12:59 PM Please support the resolution that will allow Pierce County to better align with Keep Washington Working. Immigrants and refugees deserve to work, go to school, access services, and participate in public life without fear of ICE arrest.
Nancy Loran 4/28/25 1:01 PM I wholeheartedly support this resolution. Our country was founded on this and we are all children of immigrants. Immigrants currently in our city deserve protection and due process. I want Pierce County to be welcoming to all immigrants regardless of their status.
Lane 4/28/25 1:12 PM Migrants regardless of their legal status are valuable members of our communities, and are even largely tax payers who contribute not only their labor and their money to our state to incredible benefit of all, but also contribute unique and immeasurable cultural value through art, food, music, and cultural diversity. Make Washington a safe state for immigrants trying to make a better life for them and their families. If there are criminals they will face the law like anyone else. Give them a fair chance and we will all benefit immensely.
Stephanie Ostmann 4/28/25 1:14 PM Immigrants, documented and undocumented, contribute to Pierce County. They perform critical jobs and many pay federal income taxes; all pay our state sales taxes. They contribute to our economy and enrich the culture of our county. They should be made welcome and should have access to services. They are entitled to human dignity.
Melanie Moor 4/28/25 1:17 PM I strongly support this resolution. All people deserve to feel safe, welcome in our city and accepted for who they are. Tacoma has a tainted past of expelling the Chinese community in 1885 (marching them out of town and burning their homes and businesses) known as the "Tacoma Method." We are better than this. Let's expand Resolution 41628 - giving safety and support to LGBTQIA+ Tacomans and making us the 3rd sanctuary city in Washington state.
Brit 4/28/25 1:26 PM I’m not interested in allowing the feds surveil my community. I see what they’re doing elsewhere and it’s appalling. To that end, I support this effort. Let’s protect our *whole* community.
Phil Harty 4/28/25 1:28 PM Immigrants are vital members of our communities in Pierce County! They help fill labor shortages such as in construction, healthcare and agriculture. Immigrants contribute to our local economy and contribute to tax revenue even though they are excluded from social security benefits. Immigrants contribute to the cultural diversity in Pierce County and they enrich our community through their customs, art and cuisine. They're active participants in causing our communities to be more inclusive and they also contribute to bringing innovation
Dana Galagan 4/28/25 1:29 PM I support this resolution.
Tynan Ramm-Granberg 4/28/25 1:35 PM I strongly support this resolution, which confirms that Pierce County will follow state law. Please stand firm.
Morgan Gosserand 4/28/25 1:36 PM I support this resolution because we are a nation of immigrants who enrich us with their cultures, work ethics and who, documented or undocumented, pay taxes and fill jobs necessary to our lives and economy. We owe them protection from unlawful federal actions. No lawful person deserves to be afraid of the knock on their door or being pulled over and taken to jail or detention with no notice. No person should feel unsafe due to illegal searches when at work for our country or at school for our country. I support this resolution. I support that in passing this resolution it will get rid of "everify" which is federal overreach since people must fill out I-9s when are hired. If you think it will stop at the immigrants you choose to discriminate against in this country and that they do not apply to you as well, you need to think about obtaining some serious education.
Ryan Taylor 4/28/25 1:36 PM Immigrants, regardless of their status, are valuable members of our community and are entitled to the full protection of the law. The Trump administration's mass deportation regime is a gross violation of both the law and the Constitution which Tacoma must vigorously oppose.
Toni Dudley 4/28/25 1:40 PM I support this proposal for all of the reasons laid out by the council. Thank you for being committed to doing the right thing!
Claudia Krumpach 4/28/25 1:42 PM Migrants rights are human rights. I fully support. Please continue fighting against the inhumane treatment of individuals who, regardless of status, have a right to a dignified life and for their basic needs to be met.
Meghan Rogers 4/28/25 1:48 PM I strongly support this proposal. Immigrants are what makes America a place worth living. Immigrants are not our enemy, they are your neighbors, your friends, your farmers, your cooks, your teachers, and part of Tacoma’s family. If we don’t protect the most vulnerable of our communities, we lose our humanity.
Janda Volkmer, Kirk Volkmer, Mike Volkmer 4/28/25 1:51 PM We fully support R2025-139 and urge the Pierce County Council to pass this Resolution affirming Pierce County’s commitment to Public Safety, Equity, and Inclusive Access to County services for all residents and for its intent to follow state law in accordance with federal and state laws. We support Pierce County’s intent to maintain and enforce The Keep Washington Working Act which requires certain public agencies, including Washington law enforcement, to adopt policies consistent with the Attorney General’s guidance and limits local law enforcement agencies’ participation in enforcing federal immigration laws, including collecting personal information and from entering into immigration detention agreements. Immigration is the sole responsibility of the federal government and should be exercised in a legal and responsible manner. That does not include seizure of any person appearing to be “foreign,” by plain clothes, masked individuals, displaying no identification, and being removed and incarcerated with no outside contact, legal representation or due process. That, in fact, is what is against the constitution as expressly noted in the Bill of Rights. Our opposition to Sheriff Keith Swank’s stated support and intent to collaborate with ICE agents is noted in the comments on Proposal O2025-510 to rescind Pierce County’s participation in E-Verify. If it’s acceptable to deport anyone who looks, speaks, or thinks differently, or those who dissent (judges?), it’s only a matter of time before any one of us is next.
Wally Emberson-Nash 4/28/25 2:05 PM Oppose this bill
Craig McLaughlin 4/28/25 2:12 PM This boils down to the answer to one simple question: Does Pierce County care more about public safety or illegal aliens? To me, public safety should be (must be!) Pierce County's #1 priority. Given that, let's see where the votes go on this legislation.
Elan Bowman 4/28/25 2:20 PM As a Tacoma resident I completely support the passage of resolution R2025-139s. People who have come to this city seeking a new life are extremely important members of our community and need to be protected and cherished rather than vilified based on misinformed fear mongering. Washington state law enforcement has no right morally or legally to target our friends, families, and fellow Tacomans based on their immigration status, especially given the 2019 passage of the Keep Tacoma Working Act requiring local police to limit immigration enforcement to the fullest extent possible under federal and state law. Let’s keep Tacoma a safe and inclusive place for all people and continue to support and protect immigrants in the face of an increasingly cruel and unjust federal immigration agenda.
Breshears 4/28/25 2:22 PM We do not support criminals and neither should you. Please read your oath of office again. Thank you.
J. Munday 4/28/25 2:27 PM I oppose this proposal. It includes illegal immigrants. Your stated goal is to provide safety, inclusion, and equity to all "residents." Yet this resolution does NOT provide the same to your own CITIZENS! Please focus on law and order to protect those you serve by cooperating with Federal authorities.
Karyna 4/28/25 2:29 PM Some residents in Pierce county have made comments regarding this resolution based on misinformation and harmful rhetoric they’ve been unknowingly propagandized to (our Immigrant neighbors not paying taxes when they do pay taxes and don’t receive the same benefits for a system they’re paying into). There’s an idea that people are “illegal” and they didn’t follow the proper channels when those channels and systems are purposely broken and challenging. We should as this resolution states “commit to ensuring that ALL residents feel safe, welcome, and connected, and that residents must have confidence in their ability to seek county services and assistance without fear”. People are being ILLEGALLY (without due process) taken, and we need to ensure this isn’t happening in our state or county.
Jacqui Aiello 4/28/25 2:40 PM ICE has been on a rampage for the last few months, deporting legal residents and, most recently, US citizens. They are completely breaching residents’ rights, breaking the law, refusing rights of due process, and tearing apart families. They are not to be trusted and we as a county should not cooperate with them. Please keep our residents and citizens safe. These people pay taxes (likely more than the billionaires in our state) and are not criminals. I approve of this proposal and ask everyone to keep our neighbors safe.
Debbie Cafazzo 4/28/25 2:54 PM I support this resolution. Here’s why: — Immigration enforcement is the job of the feds, not the Pierce County Sheriff. He may have an opinion on whether state law (Keep Washington Working Act) that limits his participation in immigration enforcement is Constitutional. But that’s not his decision to make. — This resolution ensures that we will not spend my local tax dollars assisting the federal government in its nefarious expulsion of our hard-working neighbors who happen to be immigrants. Of the nearly 1 million residents of Pierce County, fewer than 5% are non-citizens. And that figure includes legal permanent residents, international students and others. We have already seen how easy it is for people — U.S. citizens, students, children, immigrants who have already won protection from deportation — to be swept up in this insane frenzy. Only for a number of them to be paraded publicly into a foreign gulag. How long before they come for the rest of us? History is filled with examples of the persecution of the few by the many. This is not the time to play along. This is a time to stand up for what we all know is right.
Sally Perkins 4/28/25 3:41 PM As a resident of Pierce County, I wholeheartedly support Resolution 2025-139s, for the following reasons: 1) Our country and our County benefit greatly from the talents, skills, perspectives, hard work and drive of our immigrant and refugee neighbors. 2) Current immigration “enforcement activities” being carried out by the federal government are illegal and unconstitutional. 3) Our neighbors from other countries deserve to feel welcome in Pierce County, live in safety and peace, and not be demonized or “othered” by those who use anti-immigrant rhetoric to score political points. 4) We have a law in Washington, Keep Washington Working, that requires Pierce County to do the things that Resolution 2025-139s affirms. Sheriff Swank may have a personal opinion about immigration enforcement and his role within it, but he is not above WA State law and does not have the authority to unilaterally approach ICE to set up his own enforcement system in Pierce County in conflict with state law. Please pass R 2025-139s.
Melody Derrick 4/28/25 3:42 PM I'm writing to support the Council's affirmation of the County as Inclusive to all residents. This is what makes America different from every other country on Earth - everyone is welcome to come here to work and live in peace. Our communities should support this principle. I am also quite concerned to hear that the Sheriff thinks this idea is "unconstitutional" and that he wants to invite ICE to arrest and detain people without due process, as the current Administration is doing. This is not what Pierce County should be doing. He can continue to investigate crimes and criminal behavior, but snatching people off the street with anonymous ICE agents is un-American and reminds me of the Stasi in East Germany before the Wall came down and other repressive regimes. This is not where we should be headed as a community and not what America is all about. Thank you.
John Van Buskirk 4/28/25 3:43 PM I believe in following the current state law, and would encourage the new Sherrif to do the same and not add to the unnecessary hate and polarization that is occuring at the federal level.
Oneida Arnold 4/28/25 3:49 PM Council Members, Thank you for reinforcing our commitment to our immigrant community through Resolution 2025-139s and for upholding our state’s Keep Washington Working Act. The contributions hardworking immigrant neighbors make improves all of our lives. They, like us all, deserve to feel safe in their homes, schools and places of work. Their safety is our safety. I am appalled that our Pierce County Sheriff, Swank, is working against this resolution and wants to burden his deputies with the deplorable task of working with ICE in rounding up men, women and children who he terms as “illegals” and adding unnecessary fear and stress to their lives. Our safety is their safety. I urge you all to approve Resolution 2025-139s. Thank you, Oneida Arnold
Maureen Shadair 4/28/25 3:54 PM I am in Support R2025-139S to insure safety for Pierce County Immigrants. Federal immigration enforcement is the sole responsibility of the federal government; It is not the responsibility of Pierce County. I don’t believe that Pierce County funds, facilities, property, equipment, or personnel shall be used in any way to assist in the enforcement of federal registration or surveillance programs, or any other policies that target Washington residents based solely on race, religion, immigration, or citizenship, status, or national or ethnic origin. While many of us agree that our federal immigration policy needs reform, ignoring due process for us all, pitting neighbor against neighbor is not the way to do it. Stoking unfounded fears about immigrants seems to be a clear strategy meant to distract us from the fact that right now congress is attempting to pass a massive budget bill that give massive tax breaks to the rich while cutting funding for programs that ordinary hard working folks rely on like Medicare and veterans’ benefits. Pierce County is made up of individuals from all walks of life and this diversity is an asset, a strength, a sign of a healthy thriving community, a place where everyone deserves to feel safe. Immigrants are welcome here and this resolution commits to their protection, as well as to that of ALL residents in Pierce County. Immigrants are being targeted now, and due process, as guaranteed by our constitution is being ignored in many cases. Who will be targeted next? We must defend the rights of immigrants now. As Dr. Martin Luther King reminded us “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Stevanie Sweet 4/28/25 4:09 PM I strongly oppose this legislation
Elisabeth Parker 4/28/25 4:15 PM I’m urging you all to vote YES on R2025-139s and send a clear message to Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank: Do NOT collaborate with ICE (US Immigration & Customs Enforcement). This isn’t about where we stand on immigration (though I’m pro-immigration personally). This is about state’s rights, due process & public safety. This is about ICE snatching people off the streets without warrants and disappearing them to remote facilities (or worse, to El Salvador) without letting them call a lawyer or their loved ones. Due process sounds boring but it does matter. If we allow ICE to do this to immigrants, what’s stopping them from doing this to us? 1️⃣ The 5th Amendment clearly states that no one on US soil shall be  "deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law." This includes noncitizens whether or not they’re here legally or are suspected or convicted of crimes. 2️⃣ The Keep Washington Working Act (KWWA) restricts local police from cooperating with US immigration for public health & safety reasons. The WA State Legislature passed this in 2019 with broad support from both parties. Why did Republicans support this? Because communities that make people scared to call law enforcement and emergency responders are not safe communities. 3️⃣ ICE is running amok, arresting, imprisoning & deporting people without due process. This includes long-time Green Card holders with (like Lewellyn Dixon, a UW lab tech & SEIU organizer); DREAMers (like 25-year-old farmworker activist & union leader Alfredo Juarez Zeferino); international adoptees well into adulthood discovering their parents didn’t complete their naturalization paperwork correctly; and actual US citizens (including 20-year-old Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, who spent two days in a prison cell on “ICE hold” despite having a birth certificate, plus a two-year-old. and a four-year-old with Stage 4 cancer, and two other young children who were born on US soil to undocumented mothers). 4️⃣ To add insult to injury, we, here in the Evergreen State, keep passing laws to regulate or outright ban abusive for-profit slave labor prisons, like Tacoma’s Northwest Detention Center (NWDC), where those facing deportation proceedings are held … And the GEO Group, (valued at $4.33 billion) keeps overturning the will of Washington State’s voters through relentless lawsuits and court battles. This resolution isn’t just about protecting immigrants, it’s about protecting *all* of us.
Michael Lafreniere 4/28/25 4:20 PM I am writing to express my support for Proposed Resolution No. R2025-139S and encourage all Council members to do the same.
jeff smith 4/28/25 4:27 PM First of all, you are forcing your employees to break the law when they don't work with immigration officials. Did you know that we let 1 million immigrants into this country each year legally? If we need more than 1 million per year than litigate it, don't break the law. I say no to this resolution
Courtney Wilkinson 4/28/25 4:30 PM I am writing in support of this resolution. This country is becoming increasingly unwelcome towards immigrants and I support Pierce County’s commitment to protecting the rights and safety of all our residents.
Durell Wilkinson 4/28/25 4:39 PM I am in support of this proposal. As a veteran, I fought for the freedom of ALL people who are, or wish to become US citizens, regardless of how they came to this country. I think it’s disgusting that we are allowing the vitriol of those in power to poison the stance that America has always stood for. Freedom for all people.
Jade Monroe 4/28/25 4:44 PM I wholeheartedly support Pierce County Resolution R2025-139, which reaffirms our county's commitment to public safety, equity, and inclusive access to services for immigrants, refugees, and all residents. This resolution reflects our shared values of compassion, fairness, and community. By affirming that all residents, regardless of immigration status, are entitled to access essential services such as public health, housing, education, and legal assistance, this resolution upholds the dignity and rights of every individual in our community. It also emphasizes the importance of building trust between residents and local government, fostering a safer and more cohesive society for everyone.​ In a time when divisive rhetoric often undermines our unity, Pierce County stands as a beacon of inclusivity and respect. This resolution not only aligns with our county's values but also sets a positive example for other jurisdictions to follow. I hope Sheriff Swank is reading these comments and taking in the community he and his office serves. I urge the Pierce County Council to adopt this resolution, sending a clear message that our community is committed to justice, equity, and the well-being of all its members.
jeff smith 4/28/25 4:45 PM This country has never supported illegal immigration.
Maree Bache 4/28/25 4:46 PM While some might have you believe otherwise, the Pierce County Council’s resolution affirming the county’s commitment to limiting cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities is simple and straightforward. It’s about following Washington state law and local government directives. It affirms that federal immigration enforcement is solely the responsibility of the federal government. The resolution thus limits local law enforcement agencies' participation in federal immigration enforcement, despite what some in law enforcement would like you to believe. They would prefer to pick and choose which laws to enforce like they’re at an all-you-can-eat buffet. That’s not how it works in America, a nation of laws, and we follow the rule of law. Pierce County sheriffs grabbing a working mother taking her sick child to the ER? Detaining a teenager applying for their first driver’s license? Showing up at your kid’s school and pulling them out of the classroom? Boarding a bus to seize your uncle on his way to work? Those are the scenarios some would choose. They are already happening. We’re better than that. I urge you to pass R2025-139s.
Sophia Anderson 4/28/25 4:49 PM All people should be protected from unlawful acts. We should support and uplift immigrants in our communities and defend them against gross abuses of power. I support this resolution.
Barbara Menne 4/28/25 4:50 PM I support this Resolution affirming Pierce County's commitment to access to county services and public safety.
Jessica Smith 4/28/25 4:58 PM I support this resolution. This is asking for $0 and just care of humans and it’s clear the comments in here caring for humans is not some people’s priorities. I would hope elected officials of our area put thought and care into the people that are here. There shouldn’t be a need to question if one’s safety is at risk just because they exist.
Roger Jernegan 4/28/25 5:39 PM The economic and social costs from the flood of illegal immigrants is and enormous burden on the taxpayer. Thousands of vicious gang members had been allowed to take root, grow, and operate their criminal enterprise at the expense of law-abiding citizen's physical safety, welfare, and property security. It would be much cheaper to cooperate with Feds on the removal of criminal elements than having the citizens deal with the fallout in their lives from crime and cheaper to send the criminal element home than running them through our court system and imprisoning them here. Illegals are also big financial drain on taxpayers by creating competition for limited and taxpayer supported resources for things such as low-income housing, education, and welfare/support benefits. These drain sources intended for taxpayers safety nets and must be replaced. That ultimately results in more taxes paid and less income for essentials. The amount of tax revenue from illegals does not come close to the amount spent on support and education. There are studies to support this and I can help to provide them. Just as an example in a given year we might take in about $400 million in tax revenue but pay out over $2 billion in benefits and education. Additionally, we need to examine the strain placed on health care costs which are also passed back onto the taxpayer to cover benefits. Why were we deliberately, and criminally, flooded with so many immigrants? To create a large benefit dependent population to dilute to votes and natural born American citizens? This is beyond disgusting and scandalous and will likely trigger a very bad fallout. Do not pass this resolution. Instead, pass a resolution to help the Feds, a resolution that helps and gives relief to the tax payer.
Kayla Hipp 4/28/25 5:46 PM I STRONGLY support this resolution to renew Pierce County's sanctuary status. Undocumented immigrants are a part of our community and we have already seen how increased animosity against undocumented immigrants is making the country less safe for EVERYONE--more people are being detained for no good reason in the US. Keeping our sanctuary county status will help keep our community safe.
A. Van Camp 4/28/25 5:47 PM As I understand it this proposal does not increase the financial burden on any taxpayers. ICE has been acting unconstitutionally by picking up people, citizens and non-citizens, and incarcerating them without due process. Everyone has a right to due process under the Constitution. This resolution is about not terrorizing people who "look" like immigrants. It costs nothing. It upholds the Constitution. I am in support of passing this resolution.
Nathan knight 4/28/25 5:55 PM This proposal is ridiculous should not be passed
Julianne 4/28/25 6:23 PM I have no idea why all of these comments are talking about veterans- this resolution has nothing to do with veterans. Not to mention, there are over half a million American veterans who are also immigrants- and they deserve to feel safe and secure in their own homes as well. The county should be dealing with county things- immigration is a federal thing. Let the county focus on building and maintaining a safe, supportive, and welcoming community- no matter where you came from. There is no reason for the county to do the federal governments job. I support this resolution. It seems to me that most of the people commenting that they oppose it, did not read it.
Steve Fore 4/28/25 6:41 PM I am in support of the directive giving assistance to immigrants in Pierce County. As many have written, assistance needs to be rendered to non immigrants as a high priority but I believe we can do more than one thing at a time. Please pass this legislation.
Stephen D Wilson 4/28/25 6:48 PM I OPPOSE THIS BILL 2025-139 VOTE NO!
Linda Wilson 4/28/25 6:48 PM I OPPOSE THIS BILL 2025-139 VOTE NO!
Rebecca Thompson 4/28/25 6:49 PM I OPPOSE THIS BILL 2025-139 VOTE NO!
Marlo Wilson 4/28/25 6:50 PM I OPPOSE THIS BILL 2025-139 VOTE NO!
Kj 4/28/25 6:59 PM I respectfully oppose Resolution R2025-139s, titled "A Resolution of the Pierce County Council Affirming Pierce County's Commitment to Public Safety, Equity, and Inclusive Access to County Services for Immigrants, Refugees, and All Residents." While inclusivity and fairness are important values, this resolution fails to draw the crucial distinction between legal immigrants and individuals residing in Pierce County unlawfully. First, the resolution broadly extends services and access without specifying legal status. By doing so, it effectively incentivizes and normalizes illegal immigration at the expense of law-abiding citizens and legal immigrants who have gone through proper, regulated channels. Immigration enforcement and policy are the clear jurisdiction of the federal government, not local government. Pierce County should focus on supporting federal law, not undermining it through blanket commitments. Second, Pierce County faces urgent crises that demand immediate resources: rising homelessness, an overburdened healthcare system, neglected infrastructure, drug dependency, and insufficient services for veterans, foster children, and struggling families. These are American citizens and legal residents who are already paying into the system — and they must be prioritized. Every dollar spent expanding services to individuals outside the legal immigration framework diverts critical resources from these vulnerable groups. Third, taxpayers in Pierce County are increasingly overburdened. Property taxes, utility fees, and service costs have skyrocketed. Adding further strains by providing unrestricted services to non-citizens without voter consent is both fiscally irresponsible and disrespectful to the hardworking residents of Pierce County. Finally, while the intent behind the resolution may stem from compassion, good intentions are not a substitute for prudent governance. Effective compassion involves ensuring that services remain sustainable and legally sound. It requires honoring the rule of law, prioritizing current citizens and legal residents, and ensuring public safety is truly strengthened — not compromised by policies that ignore immigration status. Therefore, I urge the Pierce County Council to reject Resolution R2025-139s or to substantially amend it to explicitly reaffirm the rule of law, distinguish legal from illegal immigration, and prioritize the needs of current citizens and legal immigrants above all else. Respectfully submitted, Kj
Felicia Read 4/28/25 7:09 PM We need to use due process and the checks and balances that are put in place to protect our democracy and citizens. In WA we need move to progressive taxes verses regressive taxes, especially with the top wealthiest people in the state only paying 4% of their income to the state. Progressive taxes would benefit all the citizens of this state. Follow the laws, use due process, and function under checks and balances.
Lis young 4/28/25 7:11 PM I strongly support this resolution specifically at a time like this when deportation of residents are being undertaken without any due process. If they are indeed illegal aliens who have broken the law that is documented I believe that's a different circumstance. Deporting mothers, and children for no reason is inexcusable.
Bronwyn Clarke 4/28/25 7:18 PM As a first generation American (with South African parents), I strongly support this resolution. Immigrants (documented and not) and refugees are the backbone of our economy. This country literally doesn't function without them. They need to feel safe to show up to work without fear of deportation. The attacks of the Trump administration on these people are nothing but abhorrent xenophobia and racism. This resolution is a necessary step to affirm both the dignity and the right to safety that our immigrant neighbors have in Pierce County.
Brenden Smith 4/28/25 7:26 PM I am writing as a resident of Pierce County to express my strong support for Proposed Resolution No. R2025-139s. In a time when immigration issues are often misunderstood or misrepresented, it is important to affirm that being an undocumented person is not a criminal offense. Supporting our immigrant and undocumented neighbors aligns with both legal clarity and moral responsibility. As a Christian, I believe we are called to care for the foreigner and the stranger. Jesus consistently taught compassion, dignity, and welcome — values that this resolution upholds. By supporting this resolution, Pierce County takes a meaningful step toward affirming the humanity of all residents, regardless of immigration status. Thank you for your leadership on this issue. I urge you to pass this resolution and stand on the side of justice and compassion.
Jennifer Lynch 4/28/25 7:27 PM I support a resolution to affirm inclusive access to government services for immigrants and refugees. Supporting immigrants and refugees, who are a part of our community, supports better health of our community as a whole. Please pass this directive!
ERIC SEIBEL 4/28/25 7:38 PM I support the resolution! Further, I appreciate that Pierce County would reaffirm its commitment to public safety, equity, and inclusive access to county services for all residents, including immigrants and refugees. We must recognize that a vibrant, thriving community is built on fairness, dignity, and mutual respect, ensuring that every individual, regardless of origin or immigration status, feels safe and supported. I ask our officials to remain dedicated to fostering trust between government and community, removing barriers to essential services, and promoting policies that uphold human rights and dignity. I want to live in a place that embraces the diversity that strengthens our communities and pledges to continue advancing an inclusive future where everyone can thrive. Thank you!
Nancy anderson 4/28/25 7:39 PM No, no, NO!!
Sharon Scoty 4/28/25 7:41 PM The United States is a country of immigrants. That is part of what has made us great! Years ago, when my English speaking children were in grammar school , we had a chance to help integrate an intercity school that was striving to go for 100% to 75% Spanish speaking. We chose that school because my experience was that the Hispanic neighbors had stronger family ties and the values I wanted my children to learn. Currently I value the immigrants from Mexico who work so hard and give so much to the equestrian community in Pierce County. Without their labor barns would be closing!
Barbara Patterson 4/28/25 7:45 PM Take care of the legal citizens. Illegals should come to our country legally.
Juliann Hoffman 4/28/25 7:53 PM I support Pierce County continuing to be a welcoming place for all!
Laura M. Karlin 4/28/25 8:09 PM We see so much sidestepping of due process in our country today. Please support the rights of all people in our country to receive support services. It helps us all to have healthy neighbors able to meet their needs.
george kurzman 4/28/25 8:18 PM ICE has demonstrated disregard for due process, legal constraints, and human rights. Therefore, non-cooperation with ICE is both legally and morally necessary.
Tamara Hudson 4/28/25 8:25 PM Members of the Pierce County Council, As you reflect on the impact of Resolution No. R2025-139s, it becomes clear that this is more than just a legislative moment—it's a testament to who we are as a collective community. It reminds us of the scars of history, the echoes of the past that resonate in the hearts of many. Pierce County holds a poignant position in history, being a site where the grave actions of Executive Order 9066 led to the internment of over 7,000 Japanese Americans at Camp Harmony in Puyallup—a chapter written by fear and prejudice. We must heed these lessons and ensure they never shape the future of this county. Think for a moment about the fear, the uncertainty, and the isolation those families experienced. Such pain is a stark reminder of why resolution like this are needed. It's a pledge that no one should ever endure such injustice again. For every resident of Pierce County, this is about more than policy; it's a promise to every soul who calls this place home that they will be seen, heard, and valued, regardless of their background. Our county can be a place where diversity isn't just tolerated, but revered. Where differences are embraced with open arms, not met with skepticism. This resolution asks us to look into the eyes of our neighbors and recognize our shared humanity. It's an invitation to create an environment where every individual feels a profound sense of belonging and the freedom to thrive. Let us come together, not just in words but in spirit, to build a community where inclusion and equity are not ideals, but realities. Pierce County is our home, and we must stand as guardians of its legacy—a legacy of justice, empathy, and compassion. Thank you for considering the gravity and grace of what this resolution stands for. It's a beacon of hope and a commitment to never repeat the mistakes of the past, ensuring a bright, welcoming future for all. Together, let's make Pierce County a symbol of unity and strength.
Alyssa C 4/28/25 8:31 PM I'm a county resident and I support the proposal.
Brittany Langston 4/28/25 8:40 PM Support!!
Mady G 4/28/25 8:51 PM The contributions of immigrants to this country are invaluable, and the current administration has demonstrated a lack of cooperation with federal law and judicial precedent that requires a strong response from our communities to support those in need. I support this resolution.
Desiree Berry 4/28/25 9:01 PM We need to take care of our issues surrounding our own people here first before we can help others it’s common sense. Can we focus on our crime rates, homeless individuals/ veterans, drug and alcohol/mental health challenges before we help others. I understand wanting to help others but if we can’t even stand on our own two feet then how the hell can we help others. Once we can control those issues then I would be more willing to listen to what is needing to be done. Right now I oppose this until further notice. Have you ever heard of the saying if you can’t love yourself then you can’t love others. Respectfully this is the same thing. I have been homeless and also have been addicted to drugs and almost have 9 years sober. We are not even there yet to mitigating or eliminating the issues stemming from those issues. We need more adequate services, community supports, and consistency. We need to stop the enabling, and get to work in helping these individuals realize they are worth more than what they are. It will take time and a lot of effort, but changes need to be made, and again it needs to start with us (legal citizens) before we can focus on bringing in others and helping them.
Chris Sagnella 4/28/25 9:09 PM We are not the world's welfare agency. Vote no
Christopher Gray 4/28/25 9:10 PM Any support of this is support of a corrupt administration. The most corrupt administration this country has ever seen.
Randall Myers 4/28/25 9:35 PM All county residents must feel comfortable calling 911 or using other county services. I suspect Sheriff Swank does not agree. I support this proposal.
Janice Kampbell 4/28/25 9:36 PM I am in total support of Proposal 2025-139 as Pierce County should, of course, be a place where everyone feels safe, valued and free to be their authentic selves. Embracing diversity only adds to our community.
Linden Montgomery 4/28/25 9:36 PM You are elected to support the interests of the taxpayers in your jurisdiction(s) and to uphold and affirm existing law. This proposed resolution does neither. Perhaps you should consult with a larger segment of your constituents before using our tax dollars to support non-citizens.
Susan Myrdal 4/28/25 9:39 PM I support R2025-139S because it makes Pierce County a safer and more welcoming place for all residents
Jacquie Bailie 4/28/25 9:46 PM Sheriff Swank needs to act in accordance with the Keep Washington Working Act, which passed with broad bipartisan support in the legislature. Please pass this proposal.
Jeanette 4/28/25 10:11 PM I support R2025-139s. We cannot assist in the reckless activities ICE is carrying out. LEGALLY: The Federal Government has no authority to require us to. ECONOMICALLY: We need these hard working people. They're good for our community and pay payroll taxes into the system that they don't receive benefits from. MORALLY:One message throughout the bible is that we are to care for the stranger, that "as you have done unto the least of these you have done unto me".
Nancy Pearson 4/28/25 10:33 PM To Jani Hitchen, with thanks for shepherding Resolution R2025-139s through Council process. I support seeing Pierce County protect rights for all people who live and work here and look forward to this resolution passing.
Doug P Miller 4/28/25 10:44 PM ILLEGALS NEED TO GO BACK WERE BANKRUPT
Zach Sanders 4/28/25 10:47 PM This law is pointless, and doesn't add anything of value to the laws that we already have on the books. Please oppose!
Richard Grace 4/28/25 11:07 PM I support R2025-139s because it makes Pierce County a safer and more welcoming place. I don't want Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank cooperating with ICE because ICE is arresting, detaining, and deporting people without due process, as required by the 5th Amendment of the US Constitution. I wouldn't be surprised if Keith Swank also agrees with Trump deporting US citizens, WHICH HE HAS ALREADY STARTED DOING. We need to shackle Mr. Swank and block him from cooperating with the deranged federal government.
Buffy Howard 4/28/25 11:08 PM Please continue to make this area welcoming to all.
Carla Schulz 4/29/25 12:34 AM I oppose the invasion of illegal aliens. It is draining the resources of this state and country, denying help to the same people that have paid into our system.
Jeff Daniels 4/29/25 5:23 AM Does Pierce County get/use any Federal resources? It is your job to keep us safe! I believe the county should work with our federal partners and assist where possible. If you are in the US illegally how can this get ignored and your literally talking about ignoring the law. We do too much of that nowadays which is partially responsible for where we are today as a society. Gross!!!! Quit the virtue signaling garbage, it is not fooling anybody anymore. Do your job and keep us safe.
George Martinez 4/29/25 5:51 AM I strongly oppose this legislation, you are elected by the citizens of this county, represent them. Illegals do not vote, remember that.
A L Horky 4/29/25 6:38 AM I WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT THIS PROPOSAL as someone who regularly and frequently comes to Pierce County for business and personal reasons. MOST immigrants are not criminals, but law-abiding, tax-paying, productive contributors in our communities, and the defamatory labeling otherwise is a fear-mongering tactic to decimate our communities and our country. The way to be safe is to look out for and care about EVERYONE; otherwise, we live in continual fear, which is never healthy for anyone.
Keren Anderson 4/29/25 6:50 AM I oppose Resolution R2025-139, which establishes a policy to protect illegal aliens by prohibiting the use of county funds to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. This resolution goes further by using the vague term "residents" to obscure its intent to preserve taxpayer-funded entitlements for non-citizens. Diverting resources from citizens to shield illegal aliens undermines the rule of law and misuses public funds. I urge you to reject this resolution and prioritize policies that serve the legal residents of Pierce County.
A.T. 4/29/25 6:56 AM I SUPPORT Pierce County’s commitment to Public Safety, Equity, and Inclusive Access to County Services for Immigrants, Refugees and All RESIDENTS. Many have been tricked to think this is just to protect immigrants (wrongly accused as “illegals.”) WARNING: The issue is the incremental suppression of human rights in America. “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.” —Martin Niemöller
Gidget Griffin 4/29/25 7:40 AM Contributing members of society should be allowed to care for their families without constant fear that the government will take them away. Some of the hardest working people I know are those who have come to this country to escape repression. Let’s not do the same to them here too.
Lisa Sheline 4/29/25 8:38 AM We can’t allow this!
Cara Brumley 4/29/25 9:05 AM I support this proposal because I believe Pierce County should be welcoming to everyone.
Tiara Hill 4/29/25 10:03 AM I am of in favor of affirming Pierce County's commitment to safety, equity, and inclusivity and access for all residents, including immigrants and refugees. I am dumbfounded by a particular voting block supporting a relationship between ICE and the sheriff's department. I thought y'all were opposed to state tyranny and governmental overreach? But here you are, in favor of disappearing people without due process. These unconstitutional acts should not be happening at all, but certainly not at the county level- it is literally illegal. I see some folks arguing we can't afford to support our neighbors; if you read the resolution closely you will see there is no anticipated financial impact. I would also like to say: refugees ARE here legally. Refugee is a legal status. Some folks could not get here legally due to the broken US Immigration system. We should focus on repairing our institutions rather than kidnapping and disappearing our neighbors, a sign of fascism if there ever was one. And to those who are in support, I ask you this: What lengths would you go to protect your family? Would you stay in a situation where your family was starving? Where you were forced to give your children up to a gang or face death? I believe you would make the hard choice to leave your home to protect your loved ones, and I would support you and welcome you. We are operating on a scarcity mindset, but there is enough for everyone. If we could end the concentration of wealth of the top 1%, we could thrive as communities of inclusion and opportunity. We should put our collective energy toward that. But here we are fighting for scraps and scapegoating one another using xenophobia, racism, homophobia, etc. I am a student of history. If we allow this governmental overreach in our community, nobody is safe. You have not been paying attention if you think ICE and the federal government will stop at illegally disappearing those you deem "illegal" and "alien". They will come for all of us- those who exercise our first amendment rights, the disabled, women, and of course our LQBTQ siblings. It is already happening. I think you should think long and hard about the similarities between our current situation and the atrocities that have taken place the world over in the name of the so-called strong men who usurp the power from the people little by little. Everybody likes to think they would have opposed the Nazi's had they been German during WWII. The Holocaust didn't happen overnight. It happened little by little, with the consent of people who were scared, greedy, or sympathetic to authoritarian rule. Which side of history do y'all want to be on? Please pass the resolution as one small step to retain our humanity.
NA 4/29/25 10:09 AM EAGLES, OUTLAWS and OATHS Elected souls, with oaths they swear, Pledge to serve with a steadfast care, To shield the Union, States’ design, From threats that break the law’s confine, Betraying vows leaves justice bare. Oath Holders, have you lost your way? Letting outlaws hold reckless sway? Stealing calm from the lawful’s right, Lifting rogues past the Eagle’s flight, Your broken word brings dark dismay. Courts carve rulings to light the path, Let these words warn of honor’s wrath: Oath Takers, stand by what you vowed, To aid the lawless, disavowed, Defying truth courts righteous scath. The situation is not about immigrants it is about electeds making a conscious decision to aid and abet people that have committed crimes. It is with a concern for safety that this is written and certain things not disclosed
Rebecca Mann 4/29/25 10:09 AM I still believe that Pierce County shoud be a welcoming place for immigrants and remain consistent with the Keep Washington Working Act which is the policy of Pierce County specifying that no county funds, facilities, property, equipment, or personnel shall be used to investigate, enforce, cooperate with, or assist in the enforcement of federal registration or surveillance programs, or any other policies that target Washington residents based solely on race, religion, immigration, or citizenship, status, or national or ethnic origin. I DO NOT agree that the Pierce County Sheriff should illegally deputize his officers to serve as ICE agents!
Rose Anne Lane-Ryan 4/29/25 10:24 AM Coming from the '70's with Women's Lib & Black & Gay Rights that began well over 55 years ago; I asked myself why discrimination is still going on today. Well, when we leave any group behind, we are all left behind. Here's a quote from the 64th US Secretary of State born in Prague, Chechia ~ "No country can build a healthy & growing economy or establish a true democracy if half its people are held back, pushed aside, left behind or beaten up." Madeleine Albright
Tammy 4/29/25 10:25 AM I oppose
Sandra and Robin Peterson 4/29/25 11:02 AM We are a nation of immigrants. Why have some forgotten? We are all a nation of immigrants, unless you are an indigenous, native American. We want to welcome immigrants. We don't want masked strangers in our neighborhoods, abducting people, immigrants, green card holders or American citizens, without proper identification: their names, badge numbers, uniforms and producing legal warrants. We have our moral compass just because some apparently have lost theirs. Thank you for clarifying our support.
Kathrynn Lyle 4/29/25 11:04 AM I absolutely support this proposal!
Claire Swearingen 4/29/25 11:11 AM Keep ICE out of our city and care for our undocumented loved ones and neighbors
Virginia Anderson 4/29/25 11:17 AM Immigrants do contribute to our economy and deserve support. They pay billions of dollars into Fed tax, Social Security, Medicare, State and local tax. It is estimated that 1 in 6 workers in Washington are immigrants. Their monetary contributions help cover many of the services we all benefit from. They benefit from very few. I support this resolution and ask that our Fed and State lawmakers get to work on getting work permits in the pipeline and find a way for these people to work as legal immigrants. We need workers.
Ramonda Huff 4/29/25 11:34 AM I wholeheartedly support this proposal. Immigrants have enriched our country since its foundation and continue to do so. Previous actions of deportation of undocumented people have had a negative impact on our society. These actions are in conflict with the American ideal for which we have been striving.
Patricia Tamisiea 4/29/25 11:36 AM I support this proposal.
Colin Maloney 4/29/25 11:58 AM Given all that is happening at the Federal level, in making life difficult for people who were born outside the US, Pierce County should take affirmative steps to protect the people who live here. County services should go to the people live here, without consideration of where someone is from. Everyone in our community is important and deserves to live free of fear.
Emily Schroer 4/29/25 12:19 PM Immigrants have long been the backbone of our nation, contributing to its growth, culture, and resilience. It is deeply concerning to see them increasingly used as scapegoats. This not only distorts the truth, but also fuels division, hatred and harm. We must stand against this narrative and protect the rights and dignity of immigrants—because defending them is not only a moral imperative, it's a reaffirmation of the very principles our country was built upon.
Aaron 4/29/25 12:20 PM I oppose this and so do a majority of my neighbors.
Lane 4/29/25 12:21 PM Tacoma should become a sanctuary city for immigrants and queer people from all over the country! Their loss is our gain. Immigrants bring so much to our community when they move here. Their food, their culture, their hope and drive for a better life. They see a better future here, something locals frequently overlook.
crystal 4/29/25 12:31 PM I write in strong support of Resolution R2025-139s, which seeks to offer meaningful support in Pierce County. We are a nation and a county built on the labor, resilience, and sacrifice of immigrants. The notion that we can draw arbitrary lines around who deserves safety, dignity, or access to basic support is both morally indefensible and legally short-sighted. When we allow fear and prejudice to dictate policy, we do lasting damage—not only to the lives of immigrants but to the ethical foundation of our governance. These individuals are integral to our economy, our schools, our healthcare system, and our neighborhoods—their absence creates labor shortages, weakens community networks, and drives up costs for everyone. When we target and remove the very people who sustain essential industries and contribute to our local infrastructure, we all bear the consequences. When we allow prejudice and blame-games to dictate policy, we do lasting damage—not only to the lives of immigrants but to the ethical foundation of our governance and our county's infostructure.Passing Resolution R2025-139s is not a radical act—it’s a necessary correction. It affirms that Pierce County will not be complicit in the erosion of human rights. It signals that we will invest in solutions rooted in decency, legality, and shared responsibility. I strongly urge you to vote in favor of this resolution. If we cannot stand up for those who are most vulnerable, then what exactly is the purpose of local government?
B 4/29/25 12:33 PM I strongly support this resolution.
Jean Grange 4/29/25 12:41 PM I completely support Resolution 2025-139. I support Keep Washington Working. Immigrants make Pierce County a great place to live. They contribute economically and culturally.
Larry Bauman 4/29/25 12:41 PM I urge the Pierce County Council adopt proposed Resolution No. R2025-139s and to take all necessary steps to ensure that the objectives of this resolution are enforced in the actions of every County department and employee. There should be absolutely no cooperation, participation or even tacit approval of the actions that the current federal government and its executive administration are taking to deny the due process rights of individuals—including both legal immigrants and U.S. Citizens—in the illegal and unconsionsable arrests taking place in our local communitities. I strenuously object to any County resource—human, monetary or material--being used to support federal immigration arrrests and detentions. Until our federal government follows lawful and appropriate measures to enforce constitutional immigration laws, Pierce County should provide sanctuary for immigrants, most of whom come to our nation for economic survival and for political freedom. Immigration is essential to the success of our nation and should be encouraged, not demonized. Immigration, after all, is truly what has made America a great nation.
Pamela moffett 4/29/25 1:01 PM If you know the difference between right & wrong-- WE MUST SUPPORT R2025-139. We cannot have our police pandering to the illegal actions of ICE. Our Police should protect & serve us, not be encouraged to become a vigilante mob.
Jessi Wiggers 4/29/25 1:24 PM I trust the council is educated enough on not only the process of becoming a documented citizen but also the critical aspects of our society that are not only enriched but also vitally supported by our immigrant community members to understand how important this proposal is and how necessary it is to support it. I also trust that they understand that the deluge of ignorance from our uneducated community members in these comments, along with the feckless and hateful drivel that spews from Swank’s mouth to the ears of these easily manipulated nitwits, is not reflective of the compassionate and egalitarian community at large here in Pierce County.
Anna Shelton 4/29/25 1:28 PM I strongly support this resolution. I only want to live in a Pierce County that respects and protects the human rights, safety and dignity of people regardless of immigration or refugee status. Pierce County is stronger and better because of immigrants whose homes, families, and work is here - we need strong action at the county to keep them safe and able to move freely and without fear in public life.
Keun-Hae Lee 4/29/25 1:30 PM Our law enforcement should be taking care of local crime not doing ICE’s job for them. I support this resolution bc it’s the right thing to do. I don’t support my local tax money trampling on the constitution and due process.
Rev. Riley Pickett 4/29/25 1:34 PM I strongly SUPPORT this proposal. I reject dehumanizing language like "illegals" and "aliens," and stand against the misinformation and fear-mongering surrounding our immigrant population.
Karina 4/29/25 1:46 PM I strongly support this proposal.
Terese Jackson 4/29/25 1:55 PM I strongly support passage of this resolution. Most of us were blessed to grow up and live in a country where most of us were not in danger or unable to make a living. I can imagine that most immigrants would not endanger their own and their families' lives by walking through jungles in severe and dangerous conditions in order to find a better and safer life. What makes those of us who were born here so special? We are all human beings and all should be treated with respect and dignity. Please support this resolution to prevent our Sheriff's department from cooperating with ICE against the laws of our state
Susan Anderson-Newham 4/29/25 2:33 PM I strongly support this resolution. Immigrants contribute over 3 billion dollars of tax revenue to Washington State, so to claim that they are ‘taking’ resources from the County is simply untrue. Immigrants add to the beautiful fabric of Pierce County - food, language, music, celebration, new ideas, and new ways of doing things. This helps our County grow and prosper. And on moral grounds, all Spiritual traditions teach us to care for one another and support one another. It is time to stop bowing to powerful monied interests who strive to turn us against one another and begin turning to each other and create a County government that works for all people.
Megan Klein 4/29/25 2:49 PM If the law is being followed, no one should oppose someone making sure that's the case. I fully SUPPORT this proposal.
Erica Shanahan 4/29/25 2:51 PM The stated mission of the sheriff’s office is to “ The mission of the Pierce County Sheriff's Office is to protect life and property, uphold rights, and work in partnership to build strong, safe communities.” Immigrants are members of our community. We should not permit, much less promote, public offers to engage in detentions that are intended to harm members of our community.
Morningstar Stevenson 4/29/25 2:53 PM The immigration system is broken. We must do what we can to protect those living in our community and respect the dignity of every human person regardless of what documents they carry.
James Hewitt 4/29/25 3:04 PM Strongly oppose R2025-139s. VOTE NO!
JS Anderson 4/29/25 3:42 PM Totally support. I totally oppose the Sheriff's opinions about people who live in Pierce Co, and the rest of WA. Being in the US "illegally" is civil issue, not criminal. The sheriffs and the police should not be involved with this at all
Christopher Escobedo 4/29/25 3:52 PM I fully support this effort. As a Chicano, it is my responsibility to educate the American public. The prejudices we are seeing from this administration are unconstitutional. Our country is worth fighting for. If you truly believe in equal for all then let’s start acting like it. Workers from Central America have been in demand for more than 100 years as it still is today. These people are indigenous Americans just like the Chicano population. Indigenous Americans should be welcomed in the United States of America. Others around the world are welcome to come to America only if they will embrace Indigenous Peoples and culture. Let’s US as Americans show love instead of the hate we are seeing today. #freethemall
Lore Alexander 4/29/25 5:51 PM Immigrants are part of our community. We should protect them from indiscriminate hate and violence from the state and federal government.
Julia Perkinson 4/30/25 8:05 AM For all the comments regarding this proposal and "it's another tax we don't need" and "what about problem X and Y" - this is NOT a TAX proposal and it says in the resolution "the Pierce County Council recognizes that there are significant non-civil public safety concerns infrastructure needs, and community needs that are more deserving of focused attention and limited financial resources, and that there is no fiscal note attached to this Proposal as it poses no fiscal impact" This means there is NO tax and the Council is aware there are bigger fish to fry. This resolution SAVES money, which is easily understandable if you actually READ the resolution. I support this proposal, having actually read the thing.
Jeremy Sibley 4/30/25 11:09 AM I had a ton of thought but (see Below) says it best. In short lets take care of are broken home first then have a helping hand. Not the other way around. When do we ride to dump the Tea in Puget Sound? The people are ready for an uprising and it will not be pretty. SO, I would like to respectfully submit mine and my entire families thoughts on this proposal. Right now we have veterans, disabled and aged people in our family along with many friends. When each and everyone hears about this unimaginable action. Heads shake and people wonder who is running this horse and pony show. Grandma says "well the inmates are running the asylum" Is that how you want to be known? As a bunch of uncaring, uneducated, Anti Americans? Why are so many homeless Americans living in the forest across from my home, and yes there are lots of kids! why are our streets and food banks lined with people begging for a simple meal. I've worked hard as a Critical Care RN, I see the suffering that legislation like this creates. It is not my duty to support the world. Charity begins at home and certain people I know of are literally STARVING and FREEZING because of circumstances beyond their means and uncaring and seemingly inhumane persons wanting this legislation to pass. CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME. Why would you want our hard earned taxes going to support DEI and illegal activities. Which have been proven just this very week that a vast majority of illegals are felons and outlaws from other countries that are bringing illegal activities to our front doors. Fentanyl, theft, trafficking, recently attempted murder near here in Burien, the poor woman was mutilated and thrown for dead from a bridge. So I beg of you to stop this. Stop the taxes, take care of Washingtonians and then when our books show that we can balance a budget and trim the fat off of the corruption, then we can start to help others. Until then, I am tired of seeing people that have worked hard, starving, not turning on their heat, not getting medications or being homeless. Enough is Enough! Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. Cherie
Zachary Chastaine 4/30/25 11:19 AM Yes, the County should affirm that it supports the rights of people under the State and Federal Constitutions. It is disappointing that so many people opposed to this measure, including Sheriff Swank, do not understand the protections of the government extend to ALL people, not just US Citizens. This resolution could, and should go further to affirm the County's support for, and actions relating to the right to due process and protection from unreasonable search and seizure.