The rumors turned out to be false. But the fear was real.

Rumors spread last summer that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were asking King County transit riders to disclose their immigration status, according to Monserrat Padilla, director of the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network.

Read this story in Spanish.

"It may have been fare enforcement," she said. "This was shortly after President Trump announced massive commitments to 2 million deportations in July of 2019."

The rumors led some people to avoid taking the bus or light rail, which Padilla said can be incredibly damaging — particularly in low-income immigrant communities.

Deborah Jacobs, Executive Director of King County’s Office of Law Enforcement Oversight said the groups that gathered at a press conference in Seattle today wanted to ease those anxieties.

"When [the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight] heard from people who experience fear, we sought to produce a guide that could help remove barriers and allow people to travel on transit safely and without fear," Jacobs said.

So the office unveiled a new pamphlet printed in Chinese, English, and Spanish intended to ease concerns. It identifies which law enforcement officers riders can expect to see, and what they do.