SUNNYSIDE, Wash. — Nestled in the heart of Yakima Valley, the city of Sunnyside proudly celebrates its Mexican heritage. The town has many signs written in Spanish, and Mexican flags were easy to spot.
When ICE came to town in January, fear gripped this community where 90% of its residents are Hispanic. Multiple videos have been posted on social media showing the arrest of several people at a grocery store parking lot. Another video showed a couple being pulled over because agents thought the driver matched the description of the man they were looking for.
The city froze in fear. When Sunnyside city leaders called a press conference to calm residents’ nerves, an unwelcome visitor arrived. He wore a mask and a grey hoodie, and identified himself as a "bounty hunter, by trade."
"A thousand dollars per illegal? That sounds like a good price to me," he said, saying his 'bosses' were willing to pay that much for the capture of folks without documentation.
He then got into a back and forth with someone else in the audience, calling his behavior inappropriate. When things heated up, Sunnyside City Manager Mike Gonzalez stepped in.
"We're going to have to ask you to stop," Gonzalez said to the man. "Around here, we don't refer to people as illegals."
When the man in the mask kept going, Gonzalez raised his voice.
"It's time for you to be quiet and leave!" Gonzalez said. The man retorted, "Why? Because I'm telling the truth?"
Gonzalez shot back. "Because you don't even have the cajones to take off the mask, bro. That's why."
The man was soon escorted out, after ripping the mask off his face, to show it.
"The minute it came out of my mouth, I was like 'Oh no, I’m probably going to get fired for saying that in public,'" Gonzalez said. "There's not a family in this community that hasn't been touched by this issue or hasn't had a family member that is undocumented."
Sunnyside doesn't call itself a sanctuary city, but it follows state law that prevents any local agencies from helping federal immigration agents.
"We're not going to help ICE with anything," Gonzalez said. "That's the stance that we have to take, because the state government has taken that stance, and we're taking that directive from the governor's office."
However, not all jurisdictions embrace that state law.
"In my humble opinion, the sanctuary laws in this state are unconstitutional," Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer said. He added he's been eagerly awaiting a call from ICE.
"I'm a little disappointed, I figured they'd reach out to me, I made it very clear I'd be on speed dial for them if they were interested," Songer said.
Songer pledges allegiance to federal law over state directives.
"That's an unconstitutional law in my opinion," he said. "They are saying that as a sheriff, as a law enforcement officer, that I'm not even allowed to ask an individual if they are an illegal, if they're here illegally."
His solution for undocumented immigrants?
"Self deport," he said. "So they can come back into the country legally."
Legal immigration requires employers willing to handle paperwork and pay fees, or sponsors who can help immigrants navigate the system.
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project's Malou Chavez said the process isn't simple.
"They may not have a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident family member who can petition for them, they may not be a victim of a crime, they may not fear persecution if they were to be deported," Chavez said. "There are so many different realities for our community members. Many of them have been living in the U.S. for decades."
Back in Sunnyside, Gonzalez said he was relieved to see the community out celebrating Cinco De Mayo at the city's festival.
"When ICE came to town, they stopped going to our businesses," he said. "Our grocery stores were empty, our merchants were starting to get worried--and that's the direct impact that some of this political rhetoric has on our community."
According to this Executive Order from Jay Inslee's office, removing all undocumented immigrants from Washington would cost the state $14.5 billion in economic activity, $6.4 billion in gross revenue and eliminate approximately 71,000 jobs.
Despite Sunnyside’s unofficial sanctuary status, Gonzalez said immigration isn’t a political issue for him.
"The stance that our state is taking-- I agree with," he said. "And the interesting thing is that I am a registered Republican. And very moderate. So believe me, I've taken shots from the right."
Labels don't define, Sheriff Bob Songer either.
"In 1990, I ran for Clark County Sheriff, as a Democrat," he said with a big smile. "I was even a precinct committee person in the Democratic Party."
Both leaders show that in a region where immigration debates often split along party lines, the lines between red and blue blur. This shows, the real story of Eastern Washington is one of people, not politics.