How Washington law could hinder Trump's mass deportations
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Seattle and Washington state have laws in place that could hamper efforts by President-elect Trump to carry out the mass deportations he has promised.
Why it matters: For Trump to follow through on his pledge to deport all people living in the U.S. illegally, it would likely require the cooperation of state and local law enforcement agencies, the New York Times reports — and that's exactly what Seattle and Washington state laws restrict.
State of play: Washington state's sanctuary state law, called the Keep Washington Working Act, largely prevents local police from assisting federal authorities with civil immigration enforcement.
- Among other changes, the 2019 law banned local police from detaining people based on civil immigration warrants and barred police officers from asking about a person's immigration status in noncriminal cases.
- The law also cracked down on information sharing between state, local and federal agencies.
- Seattle, like other cities, must follow that state law — although the city passed its own ordinance in 2003 restricting police officers from asking about people's immigration status.
What they're saying: Immigration advocates urged officials in Washington to defend the state's sanctuary laws and even expand upon them as Trump prepares to take office.
- "We are deeply concerned about Trump's promises to round up millions of immigrants into large-scale migrant detention camps," Brenda Rodríguez López, executive director at the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, said in a recent statement.
- State officials estimate that more than 300,000 undocumented immigrants live in Washington.
Between the lines: For their part, local police and sheriffs are not necessarily keen to get involved in federal immigration enforcement.
- Sheriff Clay Myers of Kittitas County — where Trump won about 55% of the vote last month — recently posted on Facebook that his agency "will not take enforcement action based on immigration or alien status."
- Generally, "a person's immigration status is not a factor in our criminal investigations," Myers wrote.
What we're watching: State officials say they are prepared to file lawsuits, if necessary, should the incoming Trump administration follow through with recent threats to cut funding to sanctuary states and cities.
- Bayley Burgess, a spokesperson for Governor-elect Bob Ferguson, told Axios the incoming governor is ready to "stand up to any illegal and politically motivated cuts to congressional appropriations intended for Washington."
- "There are strong constitutional protections in place that limit the federal government's ability to coerce cities by restricting funds," Callie Craighead, a spokesperson for Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, wrote in an email to Axios.