OLYMPIA – Gov. Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown condemned the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Minnesota and outlined how they are preparing for a similar escalation in Washington.

“I have repeatedly spoken about how un-American it is to have masked federal agents in unmarked cars plucking people off the streets and from the workplaces,” Ferguson said. “The recent events in Minnesota have taken this un-American activity to an entirely different level.”

During a press conference Monday, Jan. 26, Ferguson said he and Brown are getting the state ready for a “worst-case scenario.”

“Attorney General Brown and I cannot stop ICE from being in our state,” the governor said. “On the other hand, we are not passive bystanders to what has happened, and we are prepared to use every tool at our disposal to mitigate against the harms inflicted by ICE.”

One tool under consideration, according to Ferguson, is deployment of Washington’s National Guard.

The governor said he met with Adjutant General Gent Welsh, who leads the state’s National Guard, to discuss what is happening in Minnesota and potential scenarios for mobilization.

Ferguson also called on lawmakers to quickly move Senate Bill 5855, which would bar law enforcement from wearing face coverings, to his desk.

“At least have the guts to show your face if you’re going to be violating people’s rights,” he said. “[ICE agents] lack those guts.”

In response to a leaked ICE memo that authorizes agents to forcibly enter people’s homes without a warrant, Ferguson said he and Brown sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that asserts the directive in the memo is unconstitutional.

The letter further states that the state plans to use every legal option available to hold the federal government accountable for unconstitutional actions carried out by ICE in Washington.

“We need to push back against every single thing that is unlawful,” Brown said, “and simply not look away and accept it as normal.”

Brown emphasized that state and local law enforcement are not expected “to simply watch or do nothing” if they see federal immigration enforcement officers engaging in unlawful activity.

But, he acknowledged the division of authority between local, state, and federal law enforcement is “incredibly complicated.”

However, not all Washington lawmakers agree with Ferguson and Brown’s framing of ICE.

Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, the chairman of the Washington State Republican Party, accused Ferguson of “choosing escalation” in a written statement released after Monday’s press conference.

“Here’s the problem: when the governor and the attorney general frame federal agents as the enemy and act like street conflict is proof of virtue, they don’t just ‘take a stand,’” Walsh said in the statement. “They help create the conditions for chaos. They make it more likely that Washington becomes the next flashpoint.”

Ferguson noted he is set to meet Monday with elected officials across Washington to ensure the statewide response to ICE is coordinated.

The governor announced that the Chief of the Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance, Sarah Peterson, will begin attending his cabinet meetings to make sure there is coordination between agencies when responding to the federal government.

He also said he recently hired a new senior adviser, David Kim, to focus on immigrant and refugee policy issues. Kim was formerly the director of international partnerships and public affairs for the Seattle city government.

According to Ferguson and Brown, the public also has a part in protecting Washington against ICE.

Brown said he encourages people to report anything that concerns them, and Ferguson recommended recording interactions with ICE agents like those in Minnesota have been doing.

“We have certain powers as attorney general or governors to do our part, but everybody has a role in our state right now [in] defending our democracy,” Ferguson said. “And we’re going to need that to get through this.”

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