BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The Bellingham Police Department (BPD) is clarifying its role in immigration enforcement amid an uptick at the federal level.

Police Chief Rebecca Mertzig released a video on BPD’s social media on Monday, March 2, stating that the agency exists to serve everyone, regardless of immigration status.

“Bellingham police officers do not participate in arrests for civil immigration enforcement, like deportations or detentions, and they do not ask about immigration status,” Mertzig said in the video.

Mertzig says federal law enforcement can be hard to identify, often wearing generic gear marked only by the word “police.”

She says BPD’s officers always wear shoulder patches and badges that both read “Bellingham Police,” with their names on their uniforms.

On-duty officers are required to identify themselves when it’s safe to do so.

Mertzig and Whatcom County Sheriff Donnell Tanksley have both reiterated their adherence to the state’s Keep Washington Working Act.

It prevents state and local law enforcement from pursuing charges against a person based solely on immigration status.