Pierce County leaders respond to warning not to interfere with immigration enforcement
A U.S. Justice Department memo this month made clear that federal prosecutors should investigate and potentially prosecute local and state officials who interfere with immigration enforcement, a key element of President Donald Trump’s new administration.
The Jan. 21 memo to all DOJ employees from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove also directed the department’s civil division to partner with a newly established Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group to identify local and state measures and activities inconsistent with Trump’s immigration initiatives.
Where appropriate, the DOJ is required to take legal action to challenge such laws, according to the memo, which was reported by multiple media outlets.
The memo came as an apparent warning to dozens of jurisdictions across the United States that have enacted some form of protection for immigrants, according to the Associated Press.
Washington is one of those jurisdictions. During Trump’s first administration in 2019, state lawmakers passed the Keep Washington Working Act, which restricted the extent of local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
“The Pierce County Sheriff Office will abide by all enforceable US immigration laws and legal mandates,” newly elected Sheriff Keith Swank said in a statement Jan. 23. “Law enforcement agencies are obligated to honor applicable federal detainers. I believe there will be more legal guidance in the near future.”
Messages left for the Tacoma Police Department, in an effort to ascertain whether the DOJ’s new directives would change how it conducts itself, were not returned.
Some officials in Pierce County were trying to determine what the memo could mean locally but vowed that their jurisdictions would remain committed to safety and inclusion.
Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards said in a statement Jan. 22 that the city would be reviewing Trump’s executive orders to ensure the city was following legal and constitutional requirements while also upholding the rights of every Tacoman.
“We will be working closely with our state and federal partners to understand and respond to the federal policies,” Woodards said. “We will continue to ensure we are fostering a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for all in our community.”
Since 2015, the city has declared itself a “Welcoming City,” pledging support for immigrants and refugees, and later formed a Commission on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs to engage and remove barriers for those communities. The City Council stopped short several years ago of adopting the “Sanctuary City” label that is generally not only supportive of immigrants but also resistant to cooperation with federal immigration law enforcement.
Democratic Pierce County Council Chair Jani Hitchen said Jan. 22 that she was “currently asking questions” about the memo’s potential local impact. Newly elected county Executive Ryan Mello, a fellow Democrat, told The News Tribune that state leaders would be closely evaluating potential changes in federal policies.
“What won’t change is our commitment to ensuring Pierce County remains a place that is safe, welcoming, and connected for everyone,” Mello said in a statement.
Some cities outside Pierce County have already pledged to stand by their current policies of not working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Jan. 21 that the city’s police department “will not intervene or participate in any way” in enforcing immigration law, NPR reported.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders responded similarly when asked by McClatchy this month: “We’re not federal police officers, so we don’t enforce federal law,” he said, adding that the county doesn’t impede federal law either.
During an abortion rights rally on Jan. 22, Gov. Bob Ferguson said that the state needed to see beyond Trump’s threats to what he actually does, suggesting that there likely would be litigation, potentially led by the state, to counter any unlawful actions, McClatchy reported.
House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, told McClatchy on Jan. 22 that she wanted the state to protect the Keep Washington Working Act.
The act, among other things, prohibits local law enforcement agencies from collecting information about a person’s immigration or citizenship status unless it’s tied to a criminal investigation beyond being in the United States illegally, according to an FAQ on the law from the state Attorney General’s Office.
The act also largely prohibits local law enforcement from sharing private personal information with federal immigration authorities in a non-criminal matter, or information about a person’s custody-release date and time based on notification requests from federal immigration authorities, the FAQ said.
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 12:54 PM.
