Cosponsors:  Indivisible Bellingham,  League of Women Voters Bellingham-Whatcom County

Summary: Bellingham has passed resolutions and posted signs, but no law protects our city from civil detention facilities or immigration enforcement on city property. We ask the City Council to adopt one.

Petition Text:
Bellingham has said it stands for civil and human rights. The City Council passed a resolution denouncing federal immigration enforcement actions that violate constitutional rights, and the city has posted signs on city property. But resolutions and signs aren’t law, and no ordinance has been introduced.

Meanwhile, Whatcom County has adopted a moratorium on new civil detention facilities in unincorporated areas, and the Port of Bellingham has restricted civil immigration enforcement on its property. Neither covers land inside city limits.

Civil detention facilities cause serious harm to individuals and families, including prolonged detention without adequate due process and family separation. Those harms affect our whole community. They send public dollars to large outside contractors rather than local businesses, and the fear they create can discourage people from using schools, health care, and local shops, which affects the safety and prosperity of everyone. 

We urge the Bellingham City Council to introduce and adopt an ordinance that:
1. Prohibits or places a moratorium on civil detention, processing or administration facilities within city limits.
2. Bars use of city property for civil immigration enforcement, staging or operations.
3. Writes into law the city’s commitment not to use city resources for civil immigration enforcement, support or training