FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2026

MEDIA CONTACT
Magaly Smith, media@weareoneamerica.org

Seattle, WA – Today, the House of Representatives passed (214-212) a reconciliation bill that will pour $70 billion into both ICE and CBP for the next three years, including $350 million specifically to supercharge and target immigration enforcement in cities and states that the Trump administration decides are not “qualified cooperating jurisdictions”—jurisdictions that are not part of programs that require local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws-with its violent mass deportation agenda. This could specifically target places like Washington, where under Keep Washington Working (KWW), state and local law enforcement are prevented from wasting public resources to enforce civil immigration laws, allowing for these local resources to protect and serve the needs of Washingtonians.

Roxana Norouzi, the Executive Director of OneAmerica, a statewide immigrant rights organization in Washington, shared this in response to this news:

“Congress should not give the Department of Homeland Security another dollar. Instead, today, lawmakers chose to add $70 billion on top of the $170 billion for immigration enforcement agencies to engage in state sanctioned violence, racial-profiling, constitutional violations, and separation of families. This taxpayer-funded money, with zero guardrails or accountability, will continue to be used to terrorize families and communities across Washington.

Congress should not be in the business of separating and deporting families, instead they should be working to create jobs, raise working class wages, lower the costs of every day living, and fix our immigration system so it lives up to our values and meets the demands of our economy. This is what a thriving country looks like for us all.

Washington has been and must continue to be a welcoming state to immigrants. We can provide a blueprint for the rest of the nation to resist and stand for what’s right, despite the actions of our anti-immigrant federal government. OneAmerica mobilized over 800 letters to members of Congress to vote no on this bill and we will continue to organize to make Washington a thriving home for us all, not matter where we come from.”