SEATTLE, WA - The recently-appointed president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) is voicing his concerns over the city’s policy surrounding official dealings with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying the directives imposed upon Seattle Police officers pose an increased risk to public safety.
SPOG President Kent Loux, who was appointed this past March to head the police union, said in a statement earlier in April that the strict policies barring meaningful collaboration with federal immigration authorities can pose more harm than good to public safety.
As previously reported in Law Enforcement Today, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson issued a directive to Seattle Police weeks after being sworn into office this past January that took the city’s already-standing prohibition on cooperating with ICE and amplified it to the point where it appears she wanted to pit local law enforcement against federal authorities.
Directives handed down from Mayor Wilson this past January included demands that Seattle Police “investigate, verify, and document ICE activity” and ordered local law enforcement to share their findings “with community partners,” which could be construed as anti-ICE activists.
According to SPOG President Loux, he feels that local law enforcement has a duty to de-escalate and separate anti-ICE activists who insert themselves in active scenes of federal immigration enforcement.
“SPD should not be sidelined. Instead, we should take an active role in public safety in keeping these two parties separate,” Loux stated, adding, “I think there's a place that you can cooperate, not condone.”
The head of the police union highlighted the ICE-involved shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good that occurred earlier in 2026, noting that had local law enforcement been able to intervene in those situations and keep anti-ICE activists and agents separated, then those incidents would have been unlikely to unfold as they did.
While ICE agents and officers have their own areas of expertise in law enforcement, Loux doesn’t believe the unique demands of crowd control are among their honed skills, saying, “I don't believe they are experts in crowd management like us.” According to Loux, it’s not about partisan politics, but overall public safety, which is an apolitical position.
SPOG President Kent Loux, who was appointed this past March to head the police union, said in a statement earlier in April that the strict policies barring meaningful collaboration with federal immigration authorities can pose more harm than good to public safety.
As previously reported in Law Enforcement Today, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson issued a directive to Seattle Police weeks after being sworn into office this past January that took the city’s already-standing prohibition on cooperating with ICE and amplified it to the point where it appears she wanted to pit local law enforcement against federal authorities.
Directives handed down from Mayor Wilson this past January included demands that Seattle Police “investigate, verify, and document ICE activity” and ordered local law enforcement to share their findings “with community partners,” which could be construed as anti-ICE activists.
According to SPOG President Loux, he feels that local law enforcement has a duty to de-escalate and separate anti-ICE activists who insert themselves in active scenes of federal immigration enforcement.
“SPD should not be sidelined. Instead, we should take an active role in public safety in keeping these two parties separate,” Loux stated, adding, “I think there's a place that you can cooperate, not condone.”
The head of the police union highlighted the ICE-involved shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good that occurred earlier in 2026, noting that had local law enforcement been able to intervene in those situations and keep anti-ICE activists and agents separated, then those incidents would have been unlikely to unfold as they did.
While ICE agents and officers have their own areas of expertise in law enforcement, Loux doesn’t believe the unique demands of crowd control are among their honed skills, saying, “I don't believe they are experts in crowd management like us.” According to Loux, it’s not about partisan politics, but overall public safety, which is an apolitical position.
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