Mount Vernon police chief says department will not 'round up' immigrants, drawing national attention

Chief Dan Christman said he published an early public letter declaring the Mount Vernon Police Department would not take part in broadly rounding up community members to enforce immigration laws.

"Our police department wasn't going to participate in rounding up our community members," Christman said, explaining the message was meant for local residents. He added that the department will continue to investigate and arrest people who commit crimes: "If you're a criminal ... we're coming at you hot and hard."

Christman said the letter intended to reassure immigrant communities that local officers will not canvas neighborhoods to check immigration status and that Mount Vernon officers are not trained to enforce federal immigration law. He noted the state’s Keep Washington Working Act shapes local practice and warned that officers who violate certain rules can face decertification by the state.

The chief said the letter drew widespread attention beyond Mount Vernon, and he described receiving death threats in the two weeks after publishing it. He also said that as public responses cooled he began receiving supportive messages and letters from community members.

When asked whether he would issue the same statement again, Christman said, "Yes. I would because I thought it was the right thing to do then and I think it's the right thing to do now." He emphasized that the department still cooperates with federal task forces on criminal investigations where appropriate, but that routine immigration enforcement is outside its local role and training.

The exchange in the interview clarified the department’s stance: protect victims and investigate crimes regardless of nationality or immigration status, while not engaging in broad immigration-enforcement sweeps.