EXCLUSIVE: Washington State to fund legal defense for illegal immigrants despite DOJ warning

According to a letter obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, the Washington State Department of Commerce is accepting applications from organizations that provide legal aid or referrals for low-income immigrants at risk of removal from the United States.

Under the program, grants of up to $300,000 per fiscal year ($600,000 total) will be awarded to nonprofits and legal aid groups. Applicants must serve individuals who meet Washington’s statutory definition of indigent under RCW 10.101, meaning those unable to pay legal costs, receiving public benefits, or earning below 125 percent of the federal poverty level.

Recipients must also be “at risk of harm in the event of removal from the US,” according to Commerce’s application guidelines.

The move comes just after Ferguson doubled down on Washington’s sanctuary policies during a press conference Tuesday, despite a Department of Justice (DOJ) deadline warning that states and cities blocking federal immigration enforcement could lose federal funding. “Sanctuary policies impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design,” US Attorney General Pam Bondi said, adding that local officials who obstruct federal law could face criminal charges.

Washington’s sanctuary policies have already been tied to deadly consequences. Earlier this week, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed that Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant truck driver accused of killing three people in an illegal U-turn crash, was wrongly issued full-term commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) in both Washington and California. Earlier this year, Raul Benitez-Santana, an illegal alien from Mexico with a long criminal record, was convicted of vehicular homicide and assault after driving intoxicated at over 100 mph and plowing into the patrol car of Washington State Trooper Christopher Gadd, killing him. Despite the tragedies, Ferguson defended his policies saying, “The federal government’s relentless targeting of law-abiding immigrants is wrong. Protecting hardworking Washingtonians who are abiding by our state laws and keeping families together reflect our values as a state.”

The announcement also comes as Washington faces another billion dollar shortfall on the heels of a $16 billion budget shortfall. State Democrats recently cut over $782 million from Medicaid, even while blaming Republicans in Washington, DC for threatening health care access.

At the same time, Ferguson signed into law the largest tax increase in state history this May. The $77.9 billion operating budget for 2025–27 increases spending by 8.2 percent and adds six major new or expanded taxes, including higher sales, property, gas, and business taxes, plus new fees on everything from childcare to fishing licenses.

Republicans had offered a balanced budget without new taxes or cuts to core services, but Democrats rejected the proposal.

Over four years, the new tax package is expected to raise $12.2 billion statewide. Analysts estimate the average Washington family of four will pay up to $2,000 more per year by the end of the cycle.

For now, Washingtonians face rising taxes, reduced healthcare funding, and a government openly at odds with federal immigration law, all while footing the bill for the legal defense of those here illegally.