Forest collaboratives formed in the wake of the Pacific Northwest’s “Timber Wars” have become major power players operating largely out of the public eye
President Donald Trump has identified state and local law enforcement agencies as being pivotal in his plans to deport millions of undocumented people from the U.S. But the extent of how his undertaking will play out on the ground remains unclear, especially in Washington and other “sanctuary states” that have local laws prohibiting such collaborations.
Washington’s “sanctuary law,” formally called the Keep Washington Working Act, restricts the extent to which local law enforcement agencies may participate in federal immigration enforcement actions. The law prohibits the use of county jails for immigrant detention and does not allow local law enforcement to interview or detain those suspected of being an undocumented immigrant.
In a survey conducted by InvestigateWest and Cascade PBS, the majority of Washington sheriffs said they would focus their resources on public safety and local laws, not federal immigration enforcement.
“We recognize that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and not a part of my elected office or sworn duty. Therefore, we focus our resources and efforts on local law enforcement matters just as we have always done,” Pacific County Sheriff Daniel C. Garcia wrote in a statement. “We will not detain or arrest individuals solely based on suspected immigration violations.”
But some responses were less clear-cut.
“The Pierce County Sheriff Office will abide by all enforceable U.S. immigration laws and legal mandates,” wrote Sheriff Keith Swank, who took office on Jan. 15. “Law enforcement agencies are obligated to honor applicable federal detainers. I believe there will be more legal guidance in the near future."
In the same vein, Grant County Sheriff Joe Kriete said in his statement that while his office is aware of the Keep Washington Working Act, his office “will not impede federal operations,” providing no further clarification.
While other local law enforcement agencies across the country have formal agreements with the Department of Homeland Security under the federal 287 (g) program that allows jails to be used for immigrant detention, Washington doesn’t have any such formal agreements on the books.
Still, nothing is stopping federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials from conducting immigration raids or arrests in Washington or tapping in local law enforcement to help if the person of interest is suspected of committing a crime — which could be as simple as a traffic violation.
InvestigateWest and Cascade PBS reached out to all of Washington’s 39 sheriffs, inspired by similar work done by CalMatters, and asked how they plan to balance conflicting local, state and federal laws. Nine county sheriffs did not respond to multiple requests for comments, and nine others did not respond to our specific questions, instead forwarding a statement released by the Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs in December. Our questions:
What role does the Sheriff's office believe local law enforcement should play in federal immigration enforcement?
Will the Sheriff's office change or modify any of its policies or procedures related to immigration enforcement, while still complying with the state's Keep Washington Working Act?
Anything else you'd like to add?
While no sheriffs in Washington outright said they would work hand in hand with federal immigration enforcement, Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer, who considers himself a constitutional sheriff and did not respond to our requests, posted a video on Facebook on Dec. 11 telling federal ICE officials to “put me on speed dial.”
Here is what the sheriffs who did respond to our requests said:
Moe K. Clark is a collaborative investigative reporter covering Washington state for InvestigateWest. Her position is supported by the Murrow News Fellowship, an initiative of Washington State University which aims to bolster coverage of civic issues in underserved communities around the state.
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