Know Your Rights

The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) is committed to ensuring that residents are aware of their constitutional rights and related Thurston County and Washington State policies - regardless of immigration status. This page explains what to do if you or someone you know is approached by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or law enforcement officers.

The distribution of this information is not intended and does not constitute legal advice, nor does it create an attorney-client relationship. You should consult your own attorney to assure compliance with all applicable laws. Links shared do not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or validation by the county. Certain links on this page lead to information and resources on servers maintained by third parties, and are provided as convenience to our residents.

Thurston County Resources

Thurston County adopted Washington State's Keep Washington Working policies that establish statewide practices regarding the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local agencies and provide improved support of economic opportunities for all Washingtonians, regardless of their immigration or citizenship status.

Thurston County's Keep Washington Working Policies

Attending Thurston County District Court via Zoom

If you have a court hearing scheduled, you may appear via Zoom instead of coming to the courthouse. If you did not get information in your summons about how to appear remotely, call the Court at 360-786-5450 or use the chat button at the bottom of this page to find out how. If you are appearing for a criminal matter, you must talk with your attorney first. To attend your hearing via Zoom, click the meeting code for your assigned courtroom. For more information or if you cannot attend by Zoom, call the court at 360-786-5450.

Thurston County Sheriff's Office/Corrections Bureau

Ordinance No. 15378 was adopted on November 29, 2016 and outlines how the Thurston County Sheriff's Office/Corrections Bureau will no longer book and/or enter into our Jail Management System (JMS), ICE 48 Hour Detainer Requests. We will continue to follow the same previously established booking processes of notifying ICE, as it relates to those subjects identified as being born outside the United States. However, if a detainer request is received from ICE it will simply be placed in the subject's booking file and not entered into our JMS as an outside jurisdictional hold. These detainer requests will simply be considered informational documents and will not preclude the release of any defendant from custody on bail, personal recognizance (PR) or time served.

The BoCC adopted Resolution No.15458 on April 18, 2017, which declares Thurston County a welcoming community to all residents regardless of their heritage and background.

Washington State Laws and Policies

Keep Washington Working Act and additional information.

Know Your Rights: Civil Immigration Enforcement Washington - Washington State Office of the Attorney General
Available in additional languages

Washington State Courts - Open To All Act Information from ACLU (automatic download)

Information about applicability of Courts Open to All Act in Washington State

Screenshot of a video about knowing your rights

Click to view video (courtesy of the County of Monterey in California):

English

Spanish

A printable card that outlines your rights and information you can share with law enforcement if approached is available here from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.

Know Your Rights brochure from Clinicallegal.org

Additional resources are available in the following languages (Courtesy of ClinicLegal.org. Please note that these resources automatically download):

English

Spanish

Vietnamese

Korean

Chinese (Mandarin)

Arabic