Washington state 'sanctuary' laws under fire as House Judiciary investigates

The House Judiciary Committee has written a letter to the Attorney General of Washington State, requesting a detailed production of documents related to the state's sanctuary statute. The committee contends that these laws, which prohibit local and state law enforcement from cooperating with US Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), not only obstruct federal immigration law but also endanger the lives of American citizens by shielding "criminal aliens" from deportation.

Attorney General Nick Brown, a Democrat, has until April 14 at 5 pm to produce several specific documents or face repercussions, the committee led by prominent GOP lawmakers wrote in a letter dated March 31.

The committee is seeking information about the state's sanctuary statute, the Keep Washington Working Act of 2019, which prohibits state and local law enforcement from using their resources to assist federal officers in enforcing immigration laws. This includes restrictions on sharing information about a subject's immigration status and cooperating with ICE detainers, which are official requests to hold an illegal alien charged with a crime in jail so that ICE can arrest them rather than local authorities releasing them into the community to potentially reoffend.

The letter was sent shortly after Attorney General Brown filed a lawsuit on March 10 against Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner, alleging that the sheriff's office illegally assisted ICE in apprehending criminal illegal immigrants, particularly the agency's cooperation with ICE detainers. Sheriff Wagner previously stated that his office wouldn't comply with the statute, and the committee views Brown's lawsuit as an aggressive overreach against local agencies attempting to comply with federal law for the sake of public safety.

"Federal law explicity prohibits any restriction on communication between state or local entities and federal immigration authorities relating to an individual's immigration status," the letter reads. "The state of Washington not only actively thwarts federal immigration enforcement, but it also targets local law enforcement officials for complying with federal law."

The committee referenced a 2019 ICE report that warned sanctuary jurisdictions were "one of the biggest impediments to public safety efforts." The lawmakers also cited congressional testimony from a former ICE official in Washington state, who confirmed that at least one murder could have been prevented had local law enforcement cooperated with ICE.

"Washington's sanctuary law shields criminal aliens in the United States at the expense of American citizens and legal immigrants," the lawmakers argued, asserting that "sanctuary policies all but guarantee that dangerous criminal aliens can be released back into American communities instead of being arrested by ICE and removed from the country."

The committee further criticized Brown's lawsuit against the sheriff, accusing his office of prioritizing "the needs of criminal illegal aliens over Washingtonians."

"Instead of applauding this cooperation with federal officials - and compliance with federal law - to remove criminal aliens from local communities, your office chose to harass a law enforcement office devoted to protecting its community," the committee said. "Given the dangerous nature of sanctuary jurisdictions and their role in thwarting federal immigration enforcement, the Committee is concerned about Washington's role in undermining public safety in contravention of federal immigration law."

The committee has ordered Attorney General Brown to produce the following documents for review:
 

• All documents and communication referring or relating to investigations into local law enforcement entities in Washington for their cooperation with federal immigration officials from January 1, 2023, to the present.
• All documents and communications referring or relating to state and local law enforcement agencies' interaction with ICE and US Customs and Border Protection from January 1, 2023, to the present.
• The number of ICE detainers that Washington state and local law enforcement officials declined to honor from January 1, 2023, to the present.
• The amount of taxpayer funding used to investigate and pursue legal action against the Adams County Sheriff's Department.

The letter was spearheaded by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Chairman Tom McClintock (R-California), and Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-Washington).

Attorney General Brown has established himself as a leading figure in the opposition to President Trump's immigration executive orders since Trump assumed office in January. He has filed numerous lawsuits against the executive branch to ensure illegal immigrants remain in the country. As he filed the lawsuits, ICE ERO Seattle was in the field apprehending significant public safety threats who were previously released back into the community due to sanctuary laws. This includes suspected members of the Tren de Aragua terror group, fugitive hitmen wanted for homicide, and those with child rape, drug trafficking, assault, stabbing, and kidnapping charges, to name a few.

Attorney General Brown's Office did not immediately respond when reached for comment.

Members of the public can report immigration-related crimes or suspicious activity by calling (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.