Refugee families housed in Kent hotels get 3-week extension, paid for by Seattle

Seattle Mayor to sign executive order supporting immigrants

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell will sign an executive order that supports immigrant and refugee families.

KENT, Wash. - Migrant refugees at risk of eviction from a Kent hotel just got a much-needed extension, paid for by the City of Seattle.

Dozens of migrant families have been camping outside Riverton Park United Methodist Church in Tukwila since early 2023, but during the January cold snap, they were temporarily housed in a hotel in Kent. By mid-January, the funds to house them there had run out, with the threat that these families would be forced back outside in record-cold temperatures.

Last week, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs funded a one-week extension, and now that time is up.

On Monday, the City of Seattle announced it would pay to house the migrants for three more weeks, expected to be funded in this year's budget for migrant issues. This extension expires Feb. 26, at which point the families will likely have to return to the church in Tukwila.

Seattle leaders say they are closely following the Washington State legislative session, where Gov. Inslee has floated $8 million to put toward the state's migrant issues.

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"Given this is a regional, state, and national issue – and that City resources for this response will quickly be exhausted – we are looking to our King County, Washington state, and federal partners to develop and support sustainable longer-term solutions," said City of Seattle spokesperson Jamie Housen.

The Governor's Office tells FOX 13 News that even if the Legislature approves the $8 million budget increase, the funds would not be available until the summer.