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Seattle Mayor Signs Orders to Curb Federal Direction, Bolster Immigrant Protections

The directives assert local control over policing to prepare for any federal deployment.

Overview

  • Mayor Bruce Harrell signed two executive orders outlining Seattle’s response if President Trump deploys the National Guard or federal agents to the city.
  • The measures bar the Seattle Police Department from acting at the direction of federal authorities or the National Guard and direct coordination with the governor and attorney general.
  • A new Seattle Resilience Task Force will provide rights education, meet with advocacy groups, and create a process to report alleged improper acts by federal troops.
  • The orders require visible identification for Seattle officers, restrict mask use to limited situations, and mandate training for incidents involving masked individuals.
  • The immigrant-focused order tasks the city’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs with “know your rights” efforts, proposes a 2026 budget increase of more than $4 million, and seeks an ordinance limiting immigration enforcement operations on city property to the extent allowed by law; no troop deployment to Seattle has been announced, and the state attorney general has signaled readiness to challenge such actions in court.