Sanctuary State Status Won’t Change How Local Authorities Operate

The Yakima Police Chief and the Director of the Yakima County Department of Corrections both say the new sanctuary state status for Washington State won't impact how they do their jobs or the officers that work for them. Yakima Police Chief Matt Murray says his department doesn't enforce federal law and officers don't ask people about immigration status. And Murray says he's not interested in being political so he had no comment on the governor's action. Ed Campbell, Director of the Yakima County Department of Corrections says "we don't think it'll have any impact on we do our job." Campbell says they will continue to work with federal law enforcement when they're holding a suspect on a warrant. Campbell says he's talking with the legal department to see specifically how the law will impact the county.

Under the new law local law enforcement can't ask a person about their immigration status or where they were born unless authorities are investigating a specific crime. Jails and prisons are also barred from requesting people be held on voluntary "immigration holds" and they can't contact immigration authorities when an immigrant is being released from custody.