A Democrat Governor, Jay Inslee of Washington, has signed a bill which bars local authorities in the state from asking about anyone’s immigration status. This bill is a measure under the new sanctuary policy which places local authorities under similar restrictions for state agencies.
The policy was signed into law on Wednesday and placed Washington in line with Oregon and California who are widely acclaimed as some of the nation’s most substantial sanctuary policies.
Jay Inslee, who is also contesting for the Presidential seat, claims that the state agencies are not immigration enforcement agencies. He also accused the present administration of making efforts to break up refugee families and hard-working immigrants which his state will not be part of.
The new policy only allows police officers to ask questions regarding immigration status under limited circumstances. Bob Ferguson, who is the State Attorney General, is tasked with drawing up rules for hospitals, courthouses and government facilities where officials of the national immigration search for illegal immigrants.
According to Senator Phil Fortunato, who is a Republican, claim that the law forbids police officers to deal with illegal residents of the country. He believes it exposes both the law enforcement and private citizens to huge risk.
Lena Graber, an attorney with the San Francisco-based Immigrant Lega Resources Center, pointed out that a lot of police interactions involve both city and county law enforcement authorities. She believes the new bill will make Washington the state with the most comprehensive and most potent sanctuary state law in the United States.
