On February 10, Whitworth students joined over 500 Spokane residents at city hall for a city council meeting that discussed Resolution 2025-0010. According to the Spokane City website, this resolution entailed “Committing the City of Spokane to the enforcement of the Keep Washington Working Act of 2019 and supporting legal and immigration defense services.” The resolution passed 7-2. 

In 2019, the Keep Washington Working Act said that “Nearly one million Washingtonians are immigrants, which is one out of every seven people in the state. Immigrants make up over sixteen percent of the workforce.” The act prevents U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from utilizing local law enforcement resources to investigate civil immigration violations.  

Section one, article two of the act said, “In recognition of this significant contribution to the overall prosperity and strength of Washington state, the legislature, therefore, has a substantial and compelling interest in ensuring the state of Washington remains a place where the rights and dignity of all residents are maintained and protected in order to keep Washington working.”  

The atmosphere [at the meeting] was very tense,” but it was “really powerful to be able to be there and show support,” said freshman Nina Susin. “I think it does matter because it [Resolution 2025-0010] shows that Spokane is serious about protecting their people,” she said. 

Whitworth senior Sara Perez also attended the city council meeting and said that the resolution was “an issue that directly affects me and my community as a Mexican American in Spokane, and I wanted to just go and show my support to my people and all those that would be affected by the policy.” 

During his comments on the resolution, city council member Zach Zappone said that over 400 people and 45 local businesses had supported bringing Resolution 2025-0100 before the city council. In the over four-hour-long council meeting, forty Spokane residents gave public remarks for and against the resolution. Because city hall exceeded the fire safety capacity, a minimum of 100 attendees were asked to leave the meeting. Perez was among those who left so the meeting wouldn’t get pushed back to a later date.  

“It was very frustrating to be asked to leave because, for the first time, I felt like I found some sort of community in Spokane just because hearing all of the people that were speaking in support of the proposal, it was very healing,” said Perez. 

When asked about why he went to the city council meeting, Whitworth Graduate student Isiah Schmidt said, “That’s a part of my calling as a Christian to show up for if I believe that this is just, then that’s just part of my job.” Schmidt encouraged those who can speak out against injustice without the fear of repercussions to do so. He said that “Caring for the immigrant, the foreigner, whatever label you want to use” is important to him because “In the Bible, you hear a lot of commands about doing it well, and there are a lot of critiques of Israel when they do that poorly.” 

Susin, Perez and Schmidt encourage students to be informed about their civil rights as students. Anyone who wants to learn more about immigration issues can visit the Whitworth Immigration Learning Circle Instagram or contact Whitworth’s Interim Chief Diversity Officer Micki Abercrombie-Donahue ([email protected]).  

Click here to watch the live stream of the Spokane City Council Meeting 

*Isiah Schmidt requested that it be made known that any opinions he stated in this article are solely his own and do not in any way reflect those of campus ministry.