<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=192888919167017&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Thursday, March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024

Linkedin Pinterest

Seattle directing $250,000 to needs of immigrant students

By Associated Press
Published: November 25, 2016, 5:25pm

SEATTLE — The city of Seattle is allotting $250,000 to address the needs of Seattle Public Schools’ undocumented immigrant students and their families.

The move is part of an executive order Mayor Ed Murray signed Thursday, reaffirming Seattle’s status as a “sanctuary city.”

An “inclusive and equitable city cabinet,” made up of representatives from various city departments, will plan for to spend the money, according to a news release from the mayor’s office that did not detail what needs will be addressed.

The order also directs city employees not to ask about residents’ immigration status, unless police have a reasonable suspicion that the person is committing or has committed a felony. It directs departments to serve all residents regardless of immigration status.

Murray had promised earlier that Seattle would remain a sanctuary city with policies to protect undocumented immigrants, despite Donald Trump’s election as president. Trump has vowed to crack down on cities that shield residents from federal immigration authorities, pledging to block federal money from going to them, though it’s not clear Seattle would be affected.

Mayors of other cities, including New York and Chicago, have limited the extent to which their city departments help federal immigration authorities.

Washington’s population of undocumented immigrants grew by 40,000 between 2009 and 2014, making the state just one of six nationwide to see an increase, according to Murray’s executive order.

Loading...