I noted on Monday that the City Council stumbled in attempting to approve a typically routine grant-acceptance ordinance, and ended up in a parliamentary rathole — all because of a $90,000 line-item in which ICE reimburses SPD for costs related to joint narcotics enforcement activities at the Port of Seattle. The Council has scheduled a special meeting for noon tomorrow (Wednesday) to resolve this mess. The Council will take up an amended version of the bill that strikes the ICE reimbursement but leaves the rest of the line-items intact. Passing it will require five “yes” votes, but with the ICE …
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Ninth Circuit slams Trump’s “sanctuary city” crackdown
Today the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Trump Administration in its attempt to withhold federal funding from so-called “sanctuary cities.” Though the case was brought by San Francisco and Santa Clara, it’s good news for Seattle too.
Continue readingAnother judge tells Trump administration to reinstate DACA
Today U.S. District Court Judge John Bates issued one more ruling taking the Trump Administration to task for rescinding the DACA program last year — though he gave the government 90 days for a do-over.
Continue readingTrump admin crackdown on sanctuary cities dealt another blow
Last week, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a nationwide permanent injunction that prohibits the Department of Justice from withholding federal grants to police departments in jurisdictions with so-called “sanctuary city” policies.
Continue readingDOJ threatens Seattle over sanctuary city policy
Back in January, the Department of Justice sent letters to several cities and counties, including King County, expressing concern over sanctuary city policies, demanding further documentation of existing policies, and threatening consequences if its demands are not met. Yesterday the DOJ sent the same letter to the City of Seattle, with the same demands and threats.
Continue readingDOJ rattles its saber again over sanctuary city policies, threatens King County
Yesterday the US Department of Justice sent another round of threatening letters to select cities and counties, pushing back on so-called “sanctuary city” policies.
Continue readingDurkan, Holmes, Gonzalez stand up to “bully” Trump over Sanctuary City policies
This morning, Mayor Durkan, City Attorney Holmes, King County Council President Joe McDermott, and City Council member Lorena Gonzalez held a joint press conference to double-down on their support for the city’s “welcoming city” policies, to release a letter sent to the DOJ on the topic, and to announce funding for programs to support Seattle’s immigrant community and DACA recipients.
Continue readingNotes from today’s Council meetings
It was a full day for the Council, and beyond passing the budget the Council members did several other things as well.
Continue readingDOJ issues more threats over sanctuary cities
The DOJ is once again stirring up the “sanctuary city” pot by sending letters to several cities questioning their policies. This time, Seattle made the list.
Continue readingState AGs Sue to Stop Trump from Rescinding DACA
Today the attorneys general of fifteen states (including Washington) and the District of Columbia jointly sued the Trump Administration to stop Trump from rescinding the DACA program, as announced yesterday. Let’s look at their legal arguments.
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