Chairman Jim Walsh says ‘this is not the time for childish tantrums and “picking fights” with the federal government’
Washington’s “sanctuary state” policy is a motley combination of a single law and multiple executive orders and bureaucratic rules. The law—which was deceitfully called the “Keep Washington Working Act” — prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal agencies to enforce immigration law. The executive orders mandate that various state agencies treat illegal aliens in Washington as if they were citizens. And the state bureaucratic rules, in some cases, actually give illegal aliens preferential treatment — ahead of legal immigrants and citizens.
While WA politicians Governor Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown, and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell encourage lawlessness by supporting “sanctuary policies,” Rep. Buddy Carter, R-GA, has introduced the ERIC ADAMS Act to hold sanctuary city mayors accountable when illegal aliens living in their jurisdictions are found guilty of murder.
During the Biden Administration in D.C., the federal government turned a blind eye toward state laws and policies that undermined or dishonored federal immigration law. This was consistent with the Biden Administration’s de facto “open border” immigration policy. And it encouraged more lawlessness on immigration issues among our state’s executive branch and bureaucratic agencies.
Of course, the new Trump Administration is taking a much different approach. It has reversed the “open border” policy and is proactively enforcing long-standing immigration law. This puts the executive branch and bureaucratic agencies here in our Washington in a tough spot. They’ve grown accustomed to dishonoring federal law. And now they face a federal government that doesn’t enable that lawlessness.
A lawful — or at least a wise — state executive would realize that the times have changed and would adjust his strategy to align with the federal government. Unfortunately, Washington does not have a lawful or wise executive branch. Rather than developing state policy that aligns with federal policy, current Gov. Ferguson and State Attorney General Brown are digging their heels into the past. They are foolishly trying to argue that Washington’s lawless state policies on immigration are superior to federal law and policy. They filed multiple lawsuits that make absurd claims that, when state and federal policies clash, state policies prevail. This runs against the plain language of Washington’s own state constitution, which — in Article 1, Section 2—states: “The Constitution of the United States is supreme law of the land.” Our courts have long held that, based on this statement, when there are conflicts federal law and policy prevail over state law and policy.
As a practical matter, the intransigence of Gov. Ferguson, State A.G. Brown and other members of the state executive branch put this Washington at risk of punitive response from the federal government in D.C. This means the federal government could withhold money and other resources from the state government in Olympia. Ferguson, Brown & Co. seem to welcome this fiscal hardship, apparently because they believe fighting with D.C. will raise their personal political profiles among left-wing activists. In other words, they are putting their selfish political careers ahead of the interests of the people of this state.
What can common-sense Washingtonians do about this brewing storm between state and federal government? A group of Washington counties are showing the way. They have passed local resolutions declaring themselves “non-sanctuary counties.” More Washington counties should follow their lead.
These counties are Adams, Douglas, Klickitat, Lewis, Stevens, and Yakima. While these resolutions do not conflict with state law or policy, they highlight and contrast with the problems caused by the state government’s lawless policies. They encourage local officials and agencies to cooperate as much as possible with federal law enforcement agencies.
WAGOP applauds these counties. Furthermore. WAGOP encourages all common-sense Washingtonians to contact their county commissioners (or councilors, in counties that use a council system) and ask them to pass a resolution declaring theirs a “non-sanctuary” county. As more Washington counties do this, more pressure will build on the governor and other state officials to move away from their hard ideological stance — and selfish political interests — and find some way to cooperate with the federal government.
This is not the time for childish tantrums and “picking fights” with the federal government. This is the time for state officials to act in the best interests of the people they serve and avoid — or at least minimize — conflict with the powers in D.C. Public servants shouldn’t risk fiscal damage to essential state government services, while chasing their own selfish political ambitions. That didn’t work to Washington’s benefit when Jay Inslee did it. It won’t work now.
Our state needs to do better. And our counties can lead the way.
Below, find the text of the Lewis County resolution:
DECLARE LEWIS COUNTY A NON-SANCTUARY COUNTY AND AFFIRM THE RULE OF LAW
Resolution Number: 25-158
WHEREAS, the United States Constitution and the laws of the U.S. are the supreme law of the land; and
WHEREAS, Lewis County is committed to upholding and enforcing the law, including federal immigration laws, in a manner that ensures the safety and security of its residents; and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Legislature passed the “Keep Washington Working Act” (RCW 10.93.160, et seq.), which restricts local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities; and
WHEREAS, Lewis County believes that cooperation between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies is critical to public safety and maintaining the rule of law; and
WHEREAS, the term “sanctuary jurisdiction” has been used to describe local governments that, by law or policy, limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts; and
WHEREAS, the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) affirms its commitment to lawful governance and rejects policies that hinder the ability of law enforcement to coordinate with federal agencies.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Lewis County BOCC as follows:
1. Lewis County is not a sanctuary county. The County does not have any policy, ordinance or resolution that prohibits or limits cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, except where explicitly required by state law.
2. Cooperation encouraged. Lewis County encourages all local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal authorities to the fullest extent permissible under state and federal law.
3. Public safety priority. Nothing in this resolution shall be interpreted to promote racial profiling or the violation of any individual’s constitutional rights. This resolution is intended solely to affirm support for lawful cooperation and public safety.
4. Notice of resolution. A copy of this resolution shall be sent to the Governor of the State of Washington, the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC), and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a formal notice of the County’s position.
DONE IN OPEN SESSION this 8th day of July 2025.
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Sanctuary, Sovereignty, and the Selective Outrage of Chairman Walsh
Chairman Jim Walsh’s recent remarks read less like a serious policy analysis and more like the script of a talk radio fever dream, high on hyperbole, low on constitutional clarity, and entirely detached from the lived realities of immigrant communities, as well as the legal boundaries of state sovereignty.
Let’s start with a basic civics refresher. The Constitution does not deputize state or local law enforcement to carry out federal immigration policy. In fact, the Tenth Amendment, which conservatives so often invoke when it suits them, explicitly prohibits the federal government from forcing states to enforce federal mandates. That includes immigration. Local jurisdictions have the discretion — and yes, it is discretion — to decline participation in ICE detainer programs. That is not “lawlessness.” That is federalism.
The claim that sanctuary policies encourage crime has been debunked repeatedly. Empirical studies, including research from the Cato Institute and the Journal of Quantitative Criminology, show that undocumented immigrants commit fewer crimes than U.S.-born citizens. Fewer. Not more. If you are looking for a crime wave, turn your attention to the party that brought us January 6 — the most significant act of domestic terrorism in recent memory — led by a man facing 91 felony charges who remains the GOP frontrunner.
Then there is the ERIC ADAMS Act, a piece of political theater that proposes penalizing mayors for crimes committed by individuals based on their immigration status. We do not do this for any other class of people. This is not public policy. It is vengeance masquerading as governance. And it fails the logic test. If the crime of one undocumented person undermines an entire sanctuary city, then do the mass shootings by native-born citizens discredit Second Amendment zones? Do corporate polluters delegitimize pro-business states?
Chairman Walsh’s assertion that Governor Ferguson and Attorney General Brown are dishonoring federal law is both legally flawed and politically inconsistent. These are the same officials defending state rights — a principle conservatives champion when seeking to block civil rights protections, reproductive healthcare, or environmental regulations. But when states use that same authority to protect immigrant families from punitive federal overreach? Suddenly, it becomes “lawlessness.”
And let us not pretend this is about public safety. If it were, we would be discussing wage theft, housing discrimination, or the opioid epidemic currently ravaging many of the same counties passing these “non-sanctuary” resolutions. If this were about fiscal responsibility, we would be evaluating the billions spent on militarized immigration enforcement that delivers scant security returns while undermining the labor markets that American agriculture depends on.
As for these “non-sanctuary” resolutions? They are legally meaningless. They exist to rile a political base that too often equates brown skin with criminality. If the goal is to affirm the rule of law, we must begin by understanding it.
Finally, Chairman Walsh’s parting admonition — that “this is not the time for childish tantrums” — is ironic, coming from a movement defined by tantrums, from anti-vaccine protests and book bans to violent insurrections. When state leaders reject unconstitutional overreach in favor of protecting families, civil liberties, and local economies, that is not a tantrum. That is leadership.
Or, to borrow from Carville: If hypocrisy were money, Jim Walsh could single-handedly balance the state budget.