(The Center Square) – Seattle spends roughly $6.5 million a year on complementary resources for illegal immigrants, even as the administration of President Donald Trump is taking major steps to reshape immigration policy and practice – with an emphasis on enforcement of federal law.
According to city statistics, there are more than 143,687 foreign-born residents in Seattle, including 21,000 illegal immigrants who make up roughly 2.7% of the city’s total population of 755,000.
Earlier this year, Trump issued an executive order that denies federal funding – grants, loans and contracts – to jurisdictions that don’t comply with federal immigration law.
However, on Thursday, a federal judge in California barred the Trump administration from denying federal funds as such.
Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Canada border in February, citing an influx of human and drug smuggling coming from Canada presenting a national security threat to Americans.
Despite the emergency declaration, Seattle continues to keep its reputation as a “welcoming city,” requiring all departments to prioritize policies that help immigrant and refugee communities succeed, according to the city.
The city established its “don’t ask policy” in 2003, meaning Seattle employees cannot inquire about someone’s immigration status.
Revenue collected from the city’s immigration population also helps. According to a fact sheet from the Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, immigrants with a variety of statuses paid $12.7 billion in taxes in 2019.
That fact sheet also noted immigrant spending power in the Seattle Metropolitan Area in 2019 totaled $31 billion.
The Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs pointed The Center Square to Seattle Resolution 31730, which provides that city services are accessible to all residents, regardless of immigration status.
“Therefore the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs does not keep track of how our programs are being used by people of various immigration status,” the office explained to The Center Square in an email.
The Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs has a budget of $6.37 million in 2025, a slight dip from the office’s $6.4 million budget in 2024. The office coordinates with other city departments to provide legal services, workforce development, and language access to immigrants and refugees.
Programs include Seattle’s Legal Defense Network, which assists illegal immigrants in immigration cases. This program has a $1.4 million budget, according to the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs.
To be eligible, individuals must be an immigrant in detention, facing deportation, or at risk due to their immigration status, currently residing, working, or studying within Seattle, and have a household income below 200% of the federal poverty level.
The Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment administers a food voucher program for low-income residents that undocumented immigrants are eligible to participate in. The Fresh Bucks voucher program distributes a $40 stipend to income-eligible households each month to buy produce at any participating retailer regardless of immigration status.
However, the program consistently sees high demand exceeding available enrollment spots, meaning there is an active waitlist of residents.
The city provides more than $5 million annually to the program. Funding comes from the city’s Sweetened Beverage Tax, according to the city’s 2025-2026 budget.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a reminder to all recipients of federal transportation funding that they must comply with federal laws and orders or face enforcement actions.
