A corrections department in the Seattle vicinity has petitioned a Washington court to nullify a state statute that prohibits the employment of unauthorized immigrants. This move follows a whistleblower’s claim that numerous jail officers were employed without proper legal work authorization, as reported recently.

The investigation was initiated in early October when an anonymous King County staffer filed a complaint with the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC).

The complaint asserted, “Individuals have been employed with only temporary work visas, and in some instances, their work authorizations have expired. These employment practices directly breach the legal requirements established by state law.”

A pedestrian walks by the King County Correctional Facility in downtown Seattle, Washington, U.S., on September 17, 2020. (Reuters/Lindsey Wasson)

Instead of adhering to the state-mandated employment criteria, Allen Nance, the Director of the King County Department of Adult & Juvenile Detention, is reportedly challenging the law’s validity in court, as per a report by SeattleRed host Jason Rantz.

“Washington has long prohibited discrimination against people based on immigration status,” Nance wrote, according to a Nov. 10 memo reportedly obtained by Rantz. “The County believes the state law is unconstitutional because it restricts employment eligibility in a way that is contrary to federal immigration standards, discriminates against local COs, and endangers the safety of our jails by disqualifying hard-working, experienced officers.”

Read the whistleblower’s complaint:

The department previously told Fox News Digital that it was investigating the whistleblower complaint and denied that any of the guards were illegal immigrants, even though some appeared to have failed to meet the legal eligibility requirements.

Washington law requires all peace officers in the state have their immigration status verified and must be American citizens, lawful permanent residents or beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA.

A person walks by the King County Correctional Facility in downtown Seattle, Washington, U.S., September 17, 2020.  (Reuters/Lindsey Wasson)

The law does not allow for the hiring of people with temporary visas, expired work authorization or illegal immigrants who do not fall under DACA.

The state’s training commission told Fox News Digital that while it trains newly hired corrections officers, it’s the responsibility of the hiring agencies to vet the candidates. However, after learning of the whistleblower complaint, county officials told the commission that four of its recent hires did not meet eligibility requirements, and they were expelled from the training program.

A pedestrian crosses the street near the King County Correctional Facility in downtown Seattle, Washington, U.S., September 17, 2020. (Reuters/Lindsey Wasson)

King County is the largest in the state and includes Seattle and some of its suburbs.

Local authorities were cooperating with the state investigation, a WSCJTC spokesperson said previously.