Washington preps resources for children separated from immigrant parents

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an executive order Monday creating a specialized team to help children of undocumented immigrants whose families may get separated by President Trump's planned mass deportations.

Why it matters: Last week, the Trump administration rolled back longstanding guidance that had limited immigration enforcement at "sensitive" areas.

• The change opens the door to people being arrested by ICE in locations that once were considered safe spaces, including schools, churches, hospitals, funerals, weddings and public demonstrations.

Zoom in: The executive order that Ferguson signed Monday creates a new rapid response team within the state Department of Children, Youth and Families that focuses on supporting children whose parents or caregivers get swept up in Trump's mass deportation plans.

• That means "making sure that kids who are torn away and separated from their parents have someone to care for them" and that those children can continue their education without interruption, Ferguson said.
• Ferguson said the team will include officials from the Department of Children, Youth and Families, as well as the State Patrol, the Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance and the the attorney general's office, among others.

What they're saying: "The harms are obvious," Ferguson said about Trump's plans to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

• "It means ripping families apart, it means kids losing their parents, it means business losing their workers, it means communities being significantly altered."
• "We need to be prepared if this were to come to pass."

State of play: State officials estimate that more than 300,000 immigrants are living in Washington without legal authorization.

• While Washington has a sanctuary law that limits local police from helping federal immigration officials, it doesn't block the feds from coming into Washington to conduct immigration raids or otherwise carry out Trump's deportation plans.

Flashback: Ferguson's executive order is the latest of several
moves Washington state officials have made to counter Trump's agenda.

• Last week, Attorney General Nick Brown filed a lawsuit challenging Trump's executive order that seeks to end birthright citizenship, causing a federal judge to block the order from taking effect for now.
• And after Trump first took office in 2017, then-Attorney General Ferguson gained national attention when he led a lawsuit that halted the first iteration of the president's travel ban.

What we're watching: Another Trump executive order that threatens to cut funding to sanctuary jurisdictions could spell more legal fights for officials in Washington state.

• Last week, the Department of Justice told federal prosecutors to consider pressing charges against state and local officials who resist federal immigration enforcement.

Go deeper: Washington bill targets National Guard role in deportation plans