As federal immigration enforcement activity increases across the region, King County’s Office of Law Enforcement Oversight has delivered a new set of community-
As federal immigration enforcement activity increases across the region, King County’s Office of Law Enforcement Oversight has delivered a new set of community-driven recommendations aimed at changing how the King County Sheriff’s Office responds when federal immigration agents operate in the county.
Last week, the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight, known as OLEO, provided the King County Sheriff’s Office with seven community-informed recommendations in a report focused on responding to increased federal immigration enforcement within the county.
OLEO said the recommendations are intended to strengthen the Sheriff’s Office’s current policy to be more responsive to community needs, expand community education and outreach, and promote understanding by clarifying existing policy language.
OLEO’s report comes as Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests at community sites, including schools and workplaces, have “dramatically increased since 2025,” according to the oversight office. OLEO said that as ICE arrests have intensified, community members have formed coalitions to protect immigrants and refugees, but confusion remains about the role of local law enforcement in responding to federal immigration enforcement.
“It’s important for the Sheriff’s Office’s policies to reflect what communities need in the face of increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement,” said Angela Ngiangi Diansasila of the Congolese Integration Network. “These recommendations help the Sheriff’s Office achieve more with their immigration policies and better protect vulnerable immigrant and refugee groups.”
OLEO said its outreach included an online survey and multiple listening sessions, and that the recommendations were also informed by research into emerging practices in peer jurisdictions.
Among the report’s key takeaways, OLEO said 56% of survey respondents reported that fears of immigration enforcement have affected school attendance, health care access and other activities. OLEO also reported that 41% of respondents said they are less willing to call police for help, 37% said they are less willing to report a crime, and 70% said they feel more worried about racial profiling by law enforcement.
“Through our outreach, community members and advocates shared with us how intensified immigration enforcement has made them fearful of contacting law enforcement or other public agencies for assistance, making it crucial for the King County Sheriff’s Office to expand its outreach to address community fears in accessible ways,” said Angelica Maria Gonzalez Graham from Eastside For All. “The report includes recommendations for how the Sheriff’s Office can share information with communities that need it and clarify the Sheriff’s Office’s role in supporting communities targeted by harmful immigration enforcement practices.”
The seven recommendations include:
- Creating a policy, in consultation with legal advisers and community members, directing deputies to intervene when they observe federal law enforcement agents engaging in unlawful excessive force
- Expanding outreach to meet community needs and answer questions about immigration enforcement practices
- Completing and publishing audits of technology and data software contracts to ensure policy compliance and share contract details with OLEO
- Partnering with immigrant service networks to create a protocol for moving abandoned vehicles from roads when there are verified reports that a federal immigration enforcement agency detained the driver
- Tracking and regularly publishing readily available information on federal immigration enforcement activity in King County without increasing communication with federal immigration authorities
- Clarifying supervisor responsibilities and requiring additional deputies to be present when responding to federal immigration enforcement activities to ensure full documentation
- Removing the term “criminal immigration enforcement” from Sheriff’s Office policy and replacing it with language OLEO says better captures when the Sheriff’s Office may engage with federal law enforcement agencies.
OLEO noted that in April 2026, the Sheriff’s Office updated its policies restricting cooperation with federal immigration authorities and requiring the Sheriff’s Office to document federal immigration enforcement activity in King County.
OLEO said the Sheriff’s Office has received the report and stated in an initial response that it will engage with subject matter experts to thoroughly review and respond to the recommendations. OLEO said the Sheriff’s Office’s full response will be published on OLEO’s webpage when it becomes available.
