Owen Sexton / owen@chronline.com
While around 100 people filled Tumwater City Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 3, for the city council’s regular meeting, mostly to speak on a proposed city urban growth area land swap during public comment, one attendee in particular was there for a different reason.
During a public hearing held at Tuesday’s meeting specific to a Tumwater City Council resolution supporting an upcoming school district replacement levy, Tumwater Middle School student Lila Sloaf took the opportunity to speak.
Sloaf made a statement explaining why she and some of her fellow classmates had taken part in recent nationwide protests.
The protests are against ongoing nationwide deportation efforts being carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), along with recent deadly interactions between ICE and U.S. Border Patrol agents with protesters in Minneapolis, resulting in the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens.
She added her classmates were planning another walk-out protest on Wednesday, and laid out why they were choosing to join in the protest.
“In our legal system, no one is supposed to be above the law. If a civilian uses deadly force unlawfully, they are investigated and face criminal consequences,” Sloaf said. “Federal immigration agents should be held to that same standard when they cause serious harm or death. When agents face no repercussions, it creates a double standard that weakens the rule of law. Equal accountability is essential for justice and public trust.”
She also demanded both ICE and Border Patrol agents respect Washington state’s own community and protection laws protecting constitutional rights and guarding against racial profiling.
“Federal agencies should respect state and local policies designed to keep communities safe. When enforcement relies on fear and intimidation, community trust is damaged. We ask this council to uphold Washington’s commitment to Civil Rights and Constitutional protections for all residents. In closing, I want to remind this council that immigration enforcement is not an abstract policy debate,” Sloaf said. “It is something that shapes real lives every single day in our community. Families are left in constant uncertainty, never knowing if a parent, sibling or loved one will be taken away without warning. That uncertainty creates fear, instability and trauma that does not disappear when enforcement actions end. It lingers in homes, relationships and across entire neighborhoods. A system that causes this much harm demands scrutiny and accountability. Students like us are told to focus on school and building our futures and on learning how to become contributing members of society. But instead, many of us carry the daily fear that a parent or relative may not be there when we get home. That fear does not stay behind closed doors. It follows us, to classrooms, onto buses and into our daily lives. It affects our ability to learn, concentrate and to feel safe. No student should have to choose between their education and worrying about whether their family will be torn apart. We’re asking this council to recognize the Constitutional rights, due process and accountability are not optional — they are essential to justice and community safety.”
Following her statement, Tumwater Mayor Leatta Dahlhoff thanked Sloaf for speaking, and asked her to stay to talk to interim Tumwater Police Chief Carlos Quiles Jr. to learn more about how the police department planned on operating if ICE or the Border Patrol attempted to carry out operations in the Tumwater area.
