Tukwila declares state of emergency to get support to asylum seekers

The City of Tukwila announced a state of emergency Friday due to the “growing number of asylum seekers” in the area who need assistance.

In spring, Riverton Park United Methodist Church on South 140th Street in Tukwila started welcoming a number of legal asylum seekers, mainly from Venezuela and Angola, to temporarily take shelter at the church. Since the initial offer, the number of refugees went from about 50 to nearly 200 people.

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Tukwila Mayor Allan Ekberg said the influx of refugees has left the church without the necessary resources to take care of all of the refugees and is now looking to increase support from outside the town.

“The Tukwila community has always been welcoming to refugees and immigrants from around the world. Many new arrivals to the United States have called Tukwila home in their pathway to citizenship,” Ekberg said in a statement. “Addressing the needs of asylum seekers is bigger than one city and requires leadership and support from King County, the state of Washington, and the federal government.”

Pastor Jan Bolerjack with Riverton Park said that she is working hard to provide for those in need and urged Mayor Ekbreg to issue a state of emergency.

“We provide them with a shelter whether it’s a tent or inside sleeping on the floor,” Bolerjack told KIRO 7. “We got the kids in school. We have food. We have clothing. But we are stretched thin and there are more coming.”

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City officials toured and evaluated the living conditions of the asylum seekers to help identify immediate needs on the property and to begin coordinating with other entities to provide those necessary and vital services.

The asylum process in the U.S. is long, with the average legal asylum seeker often waiting four years to get their asylum request in front of a federal immigration judge.

The state of emergency allows the city to adopt emergency zoning rules, suspend competitive bidding, and seek funding from the state of Washington and the federal government to address the growing need of asylum seekers.