Tag Archives: Sanctuary State

Fortunato Meets With Governor’s Office, ICE; Renews Call to End Sanctuary Law After King County Attack

State Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, is calling for an end to Washington’s sanctuary state policy following a violent assault in King County that left a 58-year-old woman hospitalized after she was kidnapped, tortured, and left for dead.

One of the suspects reportedly has ties to Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan gang. Fortunato said the case highlights urgent public safety risks created by current state law.

“This tragedy is just the latest example of why I’ve been fighting to repeal our sanctuary laws,” Fortunato said. “When violent criminals are allowed to remain in our communities because ICE is shut out, innocent people pay the price.”

Fortunato is renewing calls to pass Senate Bill 5002, which would repeal parts of the 2019 sanctuary law, known as the “Keep Washington Working Act,” signed by Gov. Jay Inslee. The law prohibits state agencies from cooperating with federal authorities, including notifying U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement when undocumented individuals with criminal records are detained.

He recently met with the governor’s office after sending a letter outlining his concerns and was assured that the state Department of Corrections cooperates with ICE. Fortunato then met with immigration officials to discuss Washington’s sanctuary state law and how to prioritize the removal of violent offenders in the country illegally and already in state custody.

“I waited to go public with these discussions because I hoped the governor would act,” said Fortunato. “But with the legislative session winding down, our communities can’t wait any longer. Public safety must come first.”

ICE provided a list of more than 300 individuals in DOC custody with detainers, a majority of whom are charged or convicted of serious crimes such as rape or murder. Federal officials indicated that the state’s sanctuary law was a major impediment to interviewing current prisoners to determine their immigration status.

“This isn’t about immigration, it’s about public safety,” Fortunato said. “We’re talking about people with serious criminal histories who never should have been here to begin with. It’s time to stop protecting them and start protecting Washingtonians.”

Fortunato also noted that immigrant communities are often among those most harmed by criminal organizations that exploit and victimize vulnerable populations.

“Sanctuary policies aren’t protecting the vulnerable, they’re putting them in greater danger,” he stated.

With growing federal scrutiny on sanctuary jurisdictions and the potential loss of federal funds, Fortunato said lawmakers must act swiftly.

“The stakes are too high, and the choice is clear,” said Fortunato. “We can risk billions in federal funding to protect violent criminals, or we can change our laws to protect our communities.”

Though SB 5002 has not advanced through the usual legislative process, Fortunato said the Legislature can still act.

“The Democratic majority is more than capable of moving this bill,” he added. “They’ve moved mountains to pass far less consequential legislation. The time to act is now.”

Fortunato introduces updated immigration cooperation bill amid border crisis

Amid a national frenzy over immigration during the Trump administration, Governor Jay Inslee signed an executive order that barred cooperation with federal immigration authorities for certain state agencies. Washington then became one of 11 “sanctuary states” with the passage of Senate Bill 5497 in 2019.

That same year, Washington was rocked by high-profile crimes committed by illegal aliens, including the murder of a police officer in rural Kittitas County during the 2019 legislative session and the brutal rape of a disabled woman in King County, whose assailant was released due to the state’s sanctuary policy.

After meeting with victims and federal immigration authorities, state Sen. Phil Fortunato introduced legislation in 2020 to close the dangerous loopholes in state law and pushed Inslee and King County leaders to act.

Fortunato, the son of Italian immigrants, has contended, “We can’t do anything about illegal immigration since that is a federal issue, but we can do something about illegal criminals in our jails.”

Now, he’s introduced Senate Bill 6320 that would repeal Washington’s sanctuary status and other laws that have shielded violent criminals in the state illegally, including administrative barriers at courthouses, prohibiting arrests of unauthorized migrants at court facilities, and model policies developed by the state Attorney General aimed at, “limiting immigration enforcement to the fullest extent possible consistent with federal and state law…”

“The impacts of illegal immigration in our state were bad enough when Democrats pushed to make Washington a sanctuary state,” said Fortunato, R-Auburn. “Proponents continue to conflate the issue and try to pigeonhole anyone who is opposed to illegal immigration as anti-immigrant. It’s nonsense. With the influx of millions of new unauthorized migrants and our state’s well-known status, the reality is that we can’t afford to be a sanctuary state anymore.”

Fortunato notes that not only is Washington’s policy a public-safety problem, but the financial costs are also adding up.

“We just had reports that the state gave hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to illegal aliens during the COVID-19 spending spree,” Fortunato said. “There’s no accountability and that’s the problem. If violent criminals are intersecting with state courts and law enforcement, we should be doing everything we can to cooperate with federal immigration authorities to get them off our streets, not giving them taxpayer money and shielding them from deportation.”