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Seattle‘s King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD) has acknowledged hiring more than 38 undocumented migrants as corrections officers, following whistleblower revelations.
Instead of terminating these employees, the Democrat-led county plans to contest the state law prohibiting such hires and is exploring legal avenues to retroactively legitimize their employment.
The issue surfaced when a whistleblower reported to the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC) that DAJD had employed up to 100 individuals with expired or invalid visas, violating Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 43.101.095.
This statute mandates that corrections officers must be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or DACA recipients, with no exceptions for undocumented individuals.
On Thursday, DAJD confirmed the hiring of 38 undocumented workers who were “incorrectly certified,” describing it as a simple “oversight.” Only four recent recruits were let go following the investigation.
“All are fully trained as corrections officers and authorized to work in the United States. King County is committed to safety and the fair treatment of these officers and continues to work closely with the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC). We are keeping all available avenues of relief open at this time,” stated the DAJD in a message to The Jason Rantz Show.
Despite their ineligibility to work as corrections officers, DAJD has announced it will retain the remaining undocumented employees.
“To ensure the integrity of jail operations and the safety of our staff and those in our custody, most of the officers continue to work their assigned shifts while we have ongoing conversations with the CJTC about next steps,” the department added. “All officers who continue to perform duties have completed full training through the CJTC.”
The department is also working with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office to seek amendments to the law.
According to Breitbart News, the precise number of undocumented workers in DAJD’s employ remains unclear, and the department has no intention of publicly disclosing this information.
The scandal extends beyond DAJD; following the whistleblower’s complaint, the WSCJTC dismissed four recently admitted undocumented recruits from the corrections officer training academy.
