SEATTLE — The Seattle Field Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement held their second press event in several weeks Thursday, where they didn't mince words.
“We focus our limited resources first and foremost by targeting those who pose the greatest threat to public safety,” said Nathalie Asher, the director of ICE’s Seattle Field Office.
In this press event, the agency's director spoke out against what's commonly known as "sanctuary cities."
Seattle is one of these sanctuary cities meaning its leaders have taken a public stance to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation.
"Washington state's misguided sanctuary law has not made our community safer, quite the opposite, it has made them less safe," said Asher. "Returning dangerous criminals to the street, while tying the hands of local law enforcement officers trying to keep offenders off the streets."
That's a statement Cuc Vu, the director of the City of Seattle's Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, takes issue with on many levels.
“My gut feeling is that this is nothing more than a disinformation campaign,” Vu said.
The City of Seattle has information on their website on what to do if an ICE official shows up at your house or door, including when to contact a lawyer and when to remain silent.
Vu doesn't see it as working against ICE, but rather informing a vulnerable population about their rights.
“We want to make sure that everybody understands their constitutional rights, despite what ICE wants you to think. The constitution guarantees that you do not have to open your door unless there is a judicial warrant for your arrest,” said Vu.
ICE's issue isn't just with the City of Seattle, but the county and state as well. ICE's director said its officers are simply enforcing the laws and that this lack of cooperation is making their job more difficult and at times dangerous.
It's a message the agency is spreading through several similar press conferences hosted at major American cities all on the same day.
“ICE’s focus on arresting illegal aliens with criminal convictions and pending charges should not be even remotely controversial,” Asher said.
While the tension between ICE and other agencies isn't new, ICE officials speaking out about it is. It's something they say will continue.
“It is going to be our new norm,” Asher said from the press conference podium.