Wenatchee Advocates Seek Ouster of ICE from City Hall Building

Some in Wenatchee are unnerved by ICE office space leased below City Hall.

An innovation brought about by yesteryear's War on Terror, the Department of Homeland Security is the largest federal law enforcement agency, with tens of thousands of sworn officers. DHS juggles many tasks including counter-terrorism and immigration enforcement - the latter is the jurisdiction of ICE.

Councilmembers were confronted on Thursday by Allison Podlich and Stacy Willoughby, two alums of the fledgling Leadership Institute of NCW. The activists presented an open letter that reads as follows:

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For many community members, particularly immigrants, the presence of ICE in this building creates an environment that feels unwelcoming and unsafe. This includes participants in the Leadership Institute, several of whom come from immigrant backgrounds.

 

As emerging leaders, many of us are living proof that the harmful rhetoric often spread about immigrants is unfounded and unjust.  Immigrants are not criminals. They are individuals who care deeply about their families, neighbors and communities.

 

The presence of ICE in the same building as City Hall creates a climate of fear, which is why most of us who could've attended tonight's meeting chose not to - out of solidarity with our peers who feel unsafe.

 

City Hall serves as a space where families come to pay utility bills, request park permits and navigate other important matters. Children, too, come to enjoy the indoor background on the second floor. How can immigrant families feel safe and welcome when ICE operates in the basement of the very building that is open to serve as a public space for all?

The pair is careful to spell out the terms of ICE's lease, which was negotiated in or around 2018 with LocalTel. But, they say, it's incumbent on elected officials to take a stand - to try to either relocate City Hall or expel ICE from the premises.

Neither is a particularly viable option, asserts Mayor Mike Poirier, but he says Wenatchee is trying to make reasonable accommodations for immigrant visitors to City Hall. Click here for more.