Local News

Members of Congress began reacting to President Obama’s speech on immigration Thursday afternoon even before it was delivered. We’ll post statements from members of the Washington state congressional delegation as they arrive. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Medina: “Everyone agrees that our immigration system is broken, but after more than a year of refusing to act on immigration reform legislation,…

Immigrant children crossing the border likely won’t make their way up to Washington state in large numbers anytime soon, where it was briefly thought they might be housed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. But the slowing of unaccompanied minors crossing the border hasn’t stopped  Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson from weighing in on the latest incarnation of our approximately 140-year…

WASHINGTON — U. S. Sen. Patty Murray on Thursday urged President Obama to further flex his executive authority to ease detention and deportation of immigrants here illegally if Republicans remain unwilling to agree on comprehensive immigration reforms. The Washington Democrat spoke on the Senate floor a day after Speaker John Boehner said Republicans will seek…

WASHINGTON — President Obama should use his full legal authority to curb needless deportation and detention of undocumented immigrants, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene and 57 House Democrats urged in a letter released Thursday. The offices of DelBene, a freshman from Medina, and Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., drafted the letter, which calls on Obama to move more aggressively to…

OLYMPIA — State Senate Republican leaders have agreed to authorize college financial aid for students illegally brought to the United States as children, a surprising shift that is expected to pave the way for passage of the major Democratic priority. The Senate GOP will announce the decision at a 3:30 p.m. news conference, according to a…

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Patty Murray is proposing to earmark $750 million over 10 years to entice all states to make college more affordable for tens of thousands of poor, including undocumented, high school graduates each year. The Washington Democrat on Thursday introduced a bill that would financially reward Washington and 18 other states that already…

OLYMPIA — The state House overwhelmingly passed the so-called Washington Dream Act on Monday, kickstarting the 60-day legislative session with a rare opening-day floor vote. But state Senate leaders signaled the bill is unlikely to move in that chamber. The proposal, House Bill 1817, would allow access to financial aid for aspiring state college students who were…

Updated at 1:17 p.m. with comment from protest organizers After a group of women was arrested at state Republican Party headquarters in Bellevue on Thursday during a protest about national immigration policy, state GOP Chairwoman Susan Hutchison issued a friendly statement saying she shared their concerns. “Like them, we agree that our immigration system is broken…

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene rolled out a new immigration bill Wednesday,  attempting to restart a move toward comprehensive reform that has stalled in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. The bill, called the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act, largely mirrors a measure passed by the Senate earlier this year. It would, among other…

U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert of Auburn has come out in favor of citizenship for undocumented immigrants, joining nearly two dozen of his House Republican colleagues and in defiance of his caucus leadership. In a radio interview Wednesday with John Carlson of 570 KVI, Reichert said Congress needs to “build a solution around the 12…