Washington appears on a list of more than 500 cities, counties and states believed by the administration of President Donald Trump to have hampered enforcement of federal immigration laws, including Grays Harbor and Pacific counties.
The list, published Thursday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is part of a continued push by the federal administration to strong-arm jurisdictions that it believes are hindering President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation designs.
Trump has vowed to hold back federal dollars from local and state jurisdictions that defy his hard-line immigration agenda.
There isn’t a formal legal definition of what constitutes a “sanctuary jurisdiction,” but it’s broadly used to describe places that restrict cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Thirty-five Washington counties — all except for Adams, Douglas, Klickitat and Yakima counties — appear on DHS’s list. But the city of Yakima was named, as were Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle and Everett.
The move comes after Trump signed an executive order last month directing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to flag jurisdictions that “refuse” to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
“We are exposing these sanctuary politicians who harbor criminal illegal aliens and defy federal law,” Noem said in a May 29 statement. “President Trump and I will always put the safety of the American people first. Sanctuary politicians are on notice: comply with federal law.”
Washington leaders decry sanctuary list
Gov. Bob Ferguson said in an emailed statement that despite any label applied by the federal government, the Keep Washington Working Act requires compliance — and is consistent — with binding federal law.
“This law works well because it allows our state and local jurisdictions to prioritize limited law enforcement resources to keep Washingtonians safe, rather than allowing those scarce resources to be diverted to federal immigration enforcement,” the governor said. “We are confident we can defend it in court.”
Mike Faulk, spokesperson for the state Office of the Attorney General, said it isn’t clear how the Trump administration developed the list, “and that’s all it is.”
DHS states on its website that targeted jurisdictions must “renew their obligation to protect American citizens, not dangerous illegal aliens.”
To that Faulk replied: “Our lawless president does not know the meaning of the word ‘obligation.’”
Other blue states, such as California and New York, also landed on the list, while red states such as Texas and Florida did not.
U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal said in a Friday statement that this is the latest “unlawful” push by the federal administration to coerce jurisdictions such as Washington to enforce “its chaotic and harmful immigration policies that kidnap and disappear U.S. citizens, mistakenly deport people with lawful status, and attempt to trample due process rights for everyone.”
“States and localities across this country should not let themselves be bullied,” the Seattle Democrat said.
Olympia, Tacoma respond to sanctuary city list
The city of Tacoma has yet to receive a formal notice about the list, spokesperson Maria Lee said Friday. She said the city’s priority is to ensure it stays in full compliance with local, state and federal laws.
“We remain committed to serving the best interests of the Tacoma community and will provide further updates as appropriate, once we have had the opportunity to conduct a comprehensive review,” Lee said via email.
Kellie Purce Braseth, spokesperson for the city of Olympia, sent a statement saying the city has “been made aware” of the list. It hasn’t, however, received formal notice directly from the federal government.
But it’s important that the city is clear about its firm commitment to serving as a safe haven for those facing persecution, as it has been for four decades, the city’s statement said.
“We gave our word to Central Americans fleeing oppression and [political] violence in 1985,” the statement said. “We gave our word to all residents no matter their immigration status in 2016. We gave our word to women in need of reproductive health care in 2022. And we gave our word to the LBTQIA2S+ community in 2025.
“Olympia is a city of its word.”
Washington counties react to DHS list
Jerome Delvin, chairman of the Benton County Board of Commissioners, wasn’t surprised by the list. He told the Tri-City Herald that the way he views it, this is another case where the county has found itself ensnared between federal policy and state law.
Earlier this year, Delvin directed the county’s legal team to examine policies to see if they could boost cooperation with immigration officials at the Benton County Jail.
“I don’t care what list we’re on, I know what we do as a county,” Delvin told the Tri-City Herald Thursday.
Benton County hasn’t ever approved any ordinance or resolution in favor of “sanctuary” status.
Franklin County, too, has resisted Washington’s immigration laws. Its new administrator, Brian Dansel, previously served as a Trump administration adviser, the Herald reports.
In the Tri-Cities area, each county-level elected official is a Republican.
Adams County, one of the four Washington counties not featured on DHS’s list, has been sued by the state’s attorney general for allegedly aiding agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
