Seattle-area city council ousts president for his posts backing student anti-ICE walkouts

The Federal Way City Council in Washington voted Tuesday night to remove its council president following public backlash over a social media post in which he urged students to leave class and join anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) walkouts during school hours.

The council voted 4–3 to remove Councilmember Martin Moore as council president. Councilmembers Susan Honda, Melissa Hamilton, Jack Walsh, and Linda Kochmar voted in favor of removing Moore, while Moore, Lydia Assefa-Dawson, and Les Sessoms voted against the measure. The council then selected Honda as the new council president, but Moore, who is also a substitute teacher in the Federal Way School District, will remain on the council.

Supporters of the leadership change argued Moore violated ethics policies by using what they described as a professional council account to express personal political beliefs. Federal Way’s City Council is nonpartisan.

The controversy stemmed from a Feb. 3 post Moore made on his “Councilmember Martin Moore, Federal Way” Facebook page, where he shared a flyer promoting a student walkout. In the post, Moore wrote that he was “deeply concerned about ICE activity” and said that, while there was no confirmation ICE had been present in Federal Way, he supported students’ right to protest. “While we do not have confirmation that ICE has been present in Federal Way, I fully support our students’ right to peacefully protest and exercise their First Amendment freedoms,” Moore wrote. “Our young people are clearly feeling fear and uncertainty, and that is heartbreaking. I am proud of them for using their voices, and I stand with them.”

Moore also encouraged community members to participate, writing, “If you’d like to join them, please PM me.” The flyer Moore posted encouraged protesters to hide their identities, stating, “Walking out will mean that you are putting yourself out there. Therefore, COVER UP!! Photos and videos are bound to be taken/posted so PLEASE keep your identity protected.” The flyer added, “We aren’t doing this out of hatred. This is friendly fire to stand with humanity and prove that we should ALL be treated as equals.”

After the post went viral due to backlash, Moore attempted to quell the outrage by deleting it, but screenshots continued to circulate online. Council members who backed his removal said Moore’s post crossed a line by taking a political stance in an official capacity and, they argued, could be seen as encouraging students to skip school. Some also accused him of “inflaming partisanship” and creating a conflict of interest while serving as council president.

“It is not to take political stances,” Kochmar said during Tuesday’s meeting, referring to the council president's role. “We’re talking about administration of this council and who is to represent this nonpartisan council to do the work for you.”