Drafter
Clerk 03/19/2009
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to the public health and safety of the residents of King County.
body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. King County is a "home rule" government under Article XI, Section 4, of the Washington State Constitution. Under its home rule power, King County may exercise any power and perform any function relating to its government and affairs including the power to regulate for the protection and rights of its inhabitants. To this end, King County is dedicated to providing all of its residents with fair and equal access to services, opportunities, and protection.
B. There are approximately twelve million undocumented immigrants in the United States including seven hundred ninety-three thousand eight hundred in Washington state, which is twelve percent of Washington state's population. Of these, three hundred sixty-two thousand nine hundred live in King County, which is nineteen and nine-tenths percent of King County's population, working full-time jobs, paying taxes and paying Social Security and Medicare. Conditioning the provision of benefits, opportunities and services on citizenship or immigration status hinders King County's commitment to ensure fair and equal access to all its residents. According to a 2008 study by the Perryman Group, removal of these workers from the Washington state economy would result in forty-six million in lost expenditures in the state and the loss of approximately two hundred three thousand jobs.
C. The enforcement of civil immigration laws have historically been a federal government responsibility through the Immigration and Naturalization Service and Department of Homeland Security. Requiring local law enforcement agencies, which are not specifically equipped or trained to implement immigration measures, forces local governments to expend their limited resources to perform traditionally federal functions.
D. The protect...
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