SPOKANE, Wash. – The Spokane City Council voted 4-3 against the “Safe and Welcome in Spokane” ordinance during their legislative session on Monday. As an emergency ordinance, it required five votes for approval.
The ordinance aimed to enhance protections against searches by immigration enforcement agents without warrants in designated non-public areas, including “public rights of way.”
Council Member Lili Navarrete, who introduced the ordinance with Council Member Kitty Klitzke, expressed the importance of the measure. “‘In Spokane We All Belong’ is not only the City’s official motto but also a promise we make to our community,” Navarrete said. She emphasized that while the ordinance was not a complete solution, it was a step toward protecting all residents.
Navarrete’s presentation of the ordinance was among her final actions before resigning from the council.
