(Video of the public comment from FPIW is below.)

The Mayor of Everett, Washington made national news by a directive against ICE. ICE responded in the image published below from its X page. In support of ICE, here is the text of the Public Comment given before the Everett City Council by Travis Pardo, FPIW Research Fellow, at 6:30pm on March 4th, 2026. The Mayor was also present.

Hello, and good evening. My name is Travis Pardo. I am the Research Fellow at the Family Policy Institute of Washington, the largest voice for Christians in our state.

Everett is my home. I grew up here. I went to Eisenhower Middle School, and I delivered the Everett Herald newspaper to neighbors on my bicycle — two saddlebags on the back tire. I also graduated from Cascade High School — “Go Bruins”. Like you, I love this city, and I treasure the memories and the bonds of friendship. For decades, I have been proud to call this my home.

Yet too often in recent years, the old neighborhood has felt like living in a foreign city.

With the impact of mass immigration year after year, thousands upon thousands, wave after wave of illegals coming into this region — it is immigration without assimilation.

I have seen my home change before my eyes. I see enclaves. I see people who live here who have no interest nor fundamental idea of what it means to be an American, and who have no desire to celebrate our American heritage, our heroes, language, music, dress, customs, and our way of life. The ‘unity in comm-unity’ has been wounded.

I see crime and gangs linked to illegals increasing exponentially. Streets I walked in my youth are no longer safe. These days, who would want to be alone on Casino Road or in Lions Park?

Recently, the Mayor of Everett made the national news. The mayor has instructed employees to expose the location of ICE officers and to intervene in their operations. ICE rightly points out that the mayor “serves criminal illegal aliens” and is “escalating tensions.”

We believe this is a mistake, a mistake that we hope will be corrected.

ICE is protecting American citizenship. They are defending our neighborhoods. We agree that: “Cooperation with ICE, not confrontation, is the solution.”

The Family Policy Institute of Washington joins others and respectfully calls upon the Mayor to rescind her directive, specifically those troubling sections of Initiative 3.

We hold our convictions firmly in our hearts with love for this city, and we aim for a peaceful and reasonable solution.

We hope and wish to work with you to find common ground for a positive solution and better direction for this great city — our home — to make it the best it’s ever been. Thank you very much.

Additional Resources

ICE Statement
Fox News
Lynnwood Times
Seattle Red
“Who Are We?” (FPIW Action Essay)