Washington Governor Bob Ferguson on Tuesday vowed that the state would not be intimidated by threats from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi of lawsuits or possible criminal prosecutions against leaders of so-called sanctuary states and cities. Bondi had sent a letter to Ferguson last week notifying him that Washington had been identified by the White House as a jurisdiction that “engages in sanctuary policies” obstructing federal immigration enforcement. She warned of consequences ranging from withholding federal grants to prosecuting officials for allegedly using their positions “to obstruct federal immigration enforcement efforts and facilitating or inducing illegal immigration.” Ferguson held a news conference shortly after noon in the State Reception Room of the Legislative Building in Olympia, where he delivered his response to the August 13 letter. Bondi’s letter had demanded that the governor drop the state’s sanctuary policies, setting a Tuesday deadline for a reply. Washington state, she wrote, was a “sanctuary” jurisdiction that frustrated federal immigration enforcement to the detriment of national interests. She further warned that officials obstructing such efforts could face criminal charges, while noncompliant local and state governments could face civil liability. “(Attorney General) Pam Bondi … seeks to have Washington state bend the knee to a Trump administration that, day by day, drags us closer to authoritarianism. That’s not going to happen,” Ferguson said. “I am not intimidated by Pam Bondi, or the president.”Citing Bondi’s letter as a dangerous escalation, Ferguson said it reflected demands that governors and mayors “bend the knee” to the president. “That is breathtaking, and a letter like this cannot be normalized,” he said. “Let me be very clear. Washington state will not be bullied or intimidated by threats and legally baseless accusations.” “In the America that I love, that I taught my children to revere, we resolve our differences peacefully through public discourse — and if necessary, through the courts — not by threatening political opponents with imprisonment,” he added. The governor highlighted the state’s 2019 law, the Keep Washington Working Act, which limits the role of local law enforcement in aiding federal authorities on immigration matters. The law bars police from arresting or detaining individuals solely based on their immigration status and prohibits jails from holding people for federal custody unless presented with a warrant or court order signed by a judge or magistrate. Ferguson and Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown have consistently defended the law, maintaining that it does not interfere with the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration laws. Brown’s office has repeatedly argued that the act does not thwart federal authority. Ferguson was joined at the news conference by immigration rights advocates, state legislators, and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, who had also received a similar letter from Bondi naming Seattle as a sanctuary jurisdiction. According to Bondi, the notices sent to Seattle and Washington state were part of 32 letters issued last week to governors and mayors of Democratic-led “sanctuary” jurisdictions.
