Tukwila’s mayor declared a state of emergency, and federal, state and local officials are creating a plan to deal with an influx of asylum-seekers who are becoming homeless in Washington.
A task force that includes Washington’s congressional delegation, as well as officials from the governor’s office, King County, the Port of Seattle and Tukwila, and state lawmakers, will focus on how to find housing and services for the 185 people living on a Tukwila church’s property, where they have assembled.
The group will also decide if services available to refugees could be used by those seeking asylum and whether the King County Regional Homelessness Authority can free up shelter and housing options.
Tukwila Mayor Allan Ekberg issued an emergency declaration Friday evening to seek additional money, as well as to have more flexibility in some cases to address the large encampment. He said that support and resources are needed beyond what the city can offer.
These steps come after The Seattle Times reported that about 400 people over the last 10 months have shown up at Riverton United Methodist Church asking for help. The Rev. Jan Bolerjack is unsure how people find her church, but it appears to be spreading by word-of-mouth and references from social service agencies in other states. Some walk to the church from the airport.
They are living in tents and tarps or are packed into church buildings on the property. Another 50 to 100 migrants are homeless in other parts of Washington.
Most are seeking asylum, a legal process that requires someone to first immigrate to the U.S. and then file and await a decision on whether they are granted special status to stay. The wait averages four years, according to Tukwila’s emergency declaration.
Cities like New York have seen busloads of migrants in similar situations, straining their homelessness systems. Those cities have started arrival centers to help migrants get settled and connected to social services.
In Washington, government leaders have known about the growing crisis playing out in Tukwila, but no one has stepped up until now, pointing to others or saying their hands were tied.
On Monday, more than 60 people met in Riverton’s sanctuary to see the crisis in person and discuss solutions.
This new task force will be led by Washington’s Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance and Seattle’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, according to Hamdi Mohamed, director of the latter agency.
“We learned that almost 70 children were residing in tents and without shelter at the facility,” Mohamed said.
The office will also provide legal help to the people seeking asylum.
Much of the details surrounding how the task force will operate, what it will do and what kind of resources it can access remain unknown.
Funding is the biggest question.
The Regional Homelessness Authority could open shelters reserved for emergency weather situations but would need funding to open and staff the facilities.
Federal dollars largely finance a state-administered fund for refugees, who gain legal clearance to be in the U.S. before arriving. But if the state chipped in, the fund could also be used to help asylum-seekers.
The office of U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Seattle, is asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency for grant money, similar to what was given to other states with large migrant influxes.
While little is confirmed, organizers are hopeful the task force will lead to change.
Vanessa Reyes, policy manager for the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, said she hopes “we can find solutions to address the urgent needs of the migrant families, particularly to get them into housing, as well as creating a longer-term process to welcome migrants as they come to our state.”
