City of Kent, WA
01/27/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/27/2026 10:51
Message to the Kent Community Regarding ICE Immigration Enforcement
Message to the Kent Community Regarding ICE Immigration Enforcement
Post Date:01/27/2026 8:36 am
As tensions and concerns continue regarding ICE operations, we wanted to take a moment to restate the commitment of the City of Kent and the Kent Police Department to serve and protect all members of our community regardless of immigration status.
Both Washington Law (Keep Washington Working Act) and Kent Police Policy prohibit our officers from assisting ICE or any other federal law enforcement entity with federal civil immigration enforcement. Federal immigration enforcement is not the function of local law enforcement, and officers are prohibited from taking action based on a person's immigration status.
Kent Police do not have jurisdictional authority over ICE or any other federal law enforcement agency. Federal law enforcement act in accordance with federal law, and it is against federal law for anyone, including Kent Police Officers to interfere with their operations.
Should anyone in our community observe a situation that creates a public safety concern, please call 911 and report it. Kent Police will respond and assess the situation and take action to ensure public safety, keeping in mind that ICE has the authority to seize and arrest people within the scope of federal law.
Mayor Dana Ralph and Chief Rafael Padilla want all Kent Residents to know the no one in our city should fear calling 911 for help due to their immigration status. We are here to protect everyone.
City of Kent, WA published this content on January 27, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on January 27, 2026 at 16:51 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]