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: 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.

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

Affording a mortgage on a typical home in the Seattle metro requires an income of $227,000 a year, according to a recent Redfin report.

The big picture: In 2012, you needed just $67,000 needed to buy a median-priced home in the Seattle area.

• Nationally, people need to earn roughly $117,000 a year to afford a median-priced U.S. home without spending more than 30% of their earnings on monthly housing payments, according to the report.
• That marks a new high in data going back to 2012 and is $33,000 more than the median household income in the U.S., which is around $84,000, per Redfin's analysis.

Zoom in: 2024 Redfin data showed that affording a starter home in Seattle required an income of $178,000, with less than 1% of listings affordable for middle-income households.

Reality check: The median household income in Seattle is $126,140, meaning most families still fall far short of what's needed to buy even the least expensive homes.

Catch up quick: The median U.S. home price was nearly $430,000 last year, according to Redfin.

• Elevated mortgage rates and record prices are shutting many homebuyers out of the market.
• Mortgage rates topped 7% earlier this month for the first time since May 2024, per Freddie Mac data.

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The Seattle City Council appointed Mark Solomon, a civilian crime prevention coordinator with the Seattle Police Department, to represent District 2 after Tammy Morales vacated her seat earlier this month. (KUOW)

☕ Starbucks has returned to offering free refills of hot brewed or iced coffee (or tea) for customers who order any beverage "for here" — part of a larger strategy to reverse a decline in foot traffic. (Axios)

• The changes come shortly after the Seattle-based company said it plans to lay off some of its corporate staff, with more details to be announced by early March. (Fox Business)

🏈 The Seattle Seahawks have hired 37-year-old Klint Kubiak as their new offensive coordinator, replacing Ryan Grubb who was let go after one season. (MyNorthwest)

Dozens of dogs and cats arrived in Seattle over the weekend to look for forever homes, helping to free up more space in Los Angeles shelters overwhelmed by wildfires.

By the numbers: Seattle Humane welcomed 32 dogs and 12 cats on Sunday, according to Brandon Macz of Seattle Humane.

• This is the second transfer from LA shelters this month.

What's next: Some animals will be ready to be put up for adoption today, Macz told Axios, while others need a little medical attention and TLC.

Two cedar carvings by Indigenous artists have taken their place along the Seattle waterfront.

• One carving by artist Randi Purser of the Suquamish Tribe depicts Chief Sealth — for whom the city of Seattle is named — as an infant in his mother's arms.
• The other, by Tyson Simmons and Keith Stevenson of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, depicts a warrior, "representing 'strength and honor for the people,'" per a city blog post.