The Olympia City Council declared a state of emergency Tuesday as part of an update to city code that explicitly prohibits federal immigration enforcement from using city property.
The city council simultaneously passed a resolution calling on congress to impose guardrails on funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“I understand that this is not something that everyone in our community is happy about, but by majority, our community is a welcoming city and we welcome people from all different backgrounds,” Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne said during the Olympia City Council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 24. “This is one of very few ways that local governments have to try and have some kind of control over what’s happening across communities across the country, so we are happy to take this up to do all that we can, as we promised our community members that we would.”
The move comes months after the city suspended its Flock Safety Camera pilot program in direct response to community concerns that federal immigration enforcement was using the system’s data.
“We acted in response to community concerns about suspending Flock, and we will continue to act in response to our communities concerns about actions by the federal government, specifically the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” Payne said. “Earning and maintaining public trust is critical to this council, city leadership and the Olympia Police Department.”
Change to Olympia municipal code
Effective Feb. 24, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) or “any federal law enforcement agency” are barred from using municipal or city-owned properties to “assemble, mobilize, process persons, or deploy personnel, vehicles, or equipment for civil immigration enforcement purposes or operations, or for surveillance or logistical coordination for any such operations,” the ordinance reads.
City employees are required to report any attempted or actual use of city property for federal immigration action to immediately report to their department director or the city manager.
The ordinance passed by the Olympia City Council on Tuesday specifies that “any use” of city-owned or -controlled properties requires “express permission, consent or permit of the City of Olympia,” and allows the city to place barriers, such as signs and locked gates, as necessary.
It also directs city staff to create a sign template that private property owners and leaseholders can use to trespass federal immigration agents from their own properties, if they choose to.
The signage will read: “This property is a Stand Together Olympia partner. No agent of the federal government, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), may enter these premises for purposes of civil immigration enforcement, absent a valid judicial warrant or court order. This property may not be used for civil immigration enforcement operations, including as a staging area, processing location, surveillance operations, or operations base.”
Violation of the ordinance “may be enforced by the City of Olympia by means of a civil action,” the city states.
“Frankly what’s important is that we have a mechanism to challenge this should this become a problem in the future,” Payne said. “I will just be transparent about the fact that this does not mean that it cannot occur, and I want to be clear about that. But it does give us some ability to push back against it and hopefully prevail if we do need to do that, if it comes to that.”
The city clarifies in the ordinance that it does not have legal authority to prevent ICE or CBP agents from going onto private property, and states that those who use the signage “do so at their own discretion and assume any legal risk associated therewith.”
The city also clarifies that the ordinance should not be misconstrued “as restricting or interfering with the execution of lawful judicial warrants, court orders, or the enforcement of criminal law, nor as limiting the rights of any person or entity under state or federal law.”
The new policy is “a proper exercise of the City of Olympia’s police power for the public safety, health, and general welfare of Olympia’s residents and maintenance of business and good government,” the ordinance reads.
Citing ongoing federal immigration action in Minnesota, including the homicides of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the city states, “the Olympia City Council legislatively finds that it is reasonable and necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of Olympia residents from civil immigration enforcement operations conducted by ICE and CBP in American communities like Olympia.”
The Olympia City Council further states that “all Olympia residents should be free from the fear or distress caused by civil immigration enforcement operations by federal ICE or CBP agents.”
The state of emergency “exists to protect public safety, health, and welfare to prevent illegal use of City of Olympia municipal owned or controlled properties for federal civil immigration operations and activities,” the ordinance reads.
Payne, supported by the Olympia City Council, asked City Manager Jay Burney during a Feb. 3 city council meeting to start exploring a potential policy, like the City of Seattle’s, prohibiting federal immigration enforcement activity on city property.
Payne thanked city staff Tuesday for their quick work.
Call on congress to act
The city also approved a resolution Tuesday calling for an end to dangerous immigration enforcement tactics, urging protection of constitutional rights, and requiring meaningful guardrails on Department of Homeland Security funding.
“We’re bringing it at the same time as many cities across the United States are bringing very similar language, and it’s to help bolster our members of congress to put guardrails, contingent on any additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security, to stop the ridiculous, cruel, dangerous tactics and actions that immigration is taking right now,” said Council Member Clark Gilman.
The city is “calling for an end to dangerous and violent tactics used by ICE and CBP in immigration enforcement and demanding the Trump administration protect the constitutional rights of all persons and calling on congress to withhold any funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security without meaningful and significant guardrails for federal immigration laws.”
The resolution does not amend Olympia’s city code, but declares solidarity with those who have been subjected to “increasingly dangerous and violent tactics employed by ICE and CBP as they engaged in unprovoked violence against lawful protesters” and calls for congress to take action.
Gilman and City of Olympia staff worked with King County Council Member Teresa Mosqueda and her staff on the language for both the resolution and the ordinance passed Tuesday.
A copy of the resolution will be sent to each member of the Washington state congressional delegation.
“The resolution is about stating our position, frankly, as a local government, one of several across this country who disagree with the way that our federal agencies are handling the current enforcement of our immigration policies at the moment,” Payne said.
Flock cameras
The community group DeFlock Olympia issued a call on Feb. 11 asking Olympia residents to attend a “Finish Flock Rally” outside Olympia City Hall during the city council’s Feb. 24 meeting.
The group asked attendees to give public comment demanding that the city cancel its Flock contract, ban all automatic license plate readers in the city and “say no to future AI surveillance.”
DeFlock Olympia cited the violence against legal observers in Minnesota, claiming that people documenting federal immigration actions in the Twin Cities “are being put on domestic terrorist lists via the use of AI facial recognition cameras in the city.”
A legal nonprofit, Protect Democracy, filed a lawsuit against DHS on Monday, Feb. 23, alleging that DHS is illegally surveilling and intimidating legal observers via a government database of domestic terrorists.
DHS has denied the allegations.
The City of Olympia suspended its Flock Safety Camera pilot program in December 2025.
At the time, DeFlock Olympia stated “This step marks a suspension — not a permanent end — to the contract. Continued community pressure will be necessary to ensure the cameras are removed and never reinstalled.”
The program is set to expire in July 2026.
Payne confirmed Tuesday that all camera equipment has been removed and the current contract with Flock will not be renewed.
“We remain committed to providing opportunities for transparent processes with public input before any movement towards public safety technology solutions,” Payne said.
All data collected by the Flock cameras while they were active has been deleted, according to Payne.
