The Olympian | WA leaders decry Trump’s plan to withhold funds from sanctuary cities, states
By: Simone Carter and Ty Vinson
President Donald Trump said April 10 that he’s “working on papers” to halt all federal funding for any state with sanctuary cities — a category that would include Washington.
Washington is home to municipalities that have declared themselves sanctuary cities, such as Olympia and Seattle. The Keep Washington Working Act, Washington’s sanctuary-state law, broadly hampers local law enforcement from helping with federal immigration-enforcement efforts.
Trump called for an end to sanctuary cities in an April 10 post on Truth Social.
“They protect the Criminals, not the Victims,” the president wrote of sanctuary cities. “They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World. Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!”
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has charged ahead with an aggressive mass-deportation campaign. Washington reportedly counts more than 300,000 undocumented residents.
The Yakima County Republican Party on April 10 shared a screenshot of the president’s message.
“Buckle up Washington,” the party wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Been saying it. But it’s about to go down.”
On April 2, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided a Bellingham roofing company and detained nearly 40 people.
Elected leaders weigh in
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, railed against Trump in a statement to McClatchy. In Murray’s view, forcing local law enforcement to target people who don’t pose a threat to public safety — instead of directing resources toward dangerous crime — only makes communities less safe.
Trump is trying to hold federal dollars hostage, Murray said — funding that’s promised to communities, both in Washington and nationwide. The senator also noted that Trump attempted a similar move in his first term, only to be blocked by the courts.
“Washington state doesn’t need a convicted felon who provoked a violent riot telling us how to keep our communities safe,” Murray said.
Gov. Bob Ferguson told McClatchy in January that the state has been preparing for Trump’s deportation designs for some time. Presidents enjoy broad authority over a host of issues, he said — immigration included.
“So we’re prepared legally, if that makes sense, but we’re also preparing even if the president takes an action that we object to, but it’s lawful,” Ferguson said at the time. “We’re preparing for that as well to make sure we’re minimizing the impacts.”
In an emailed statement to McClatchy on April 10, Ferguson referred to a recent press conference in which he said the threats to Washington’s federal funding are quite real.
The state is already facing a $16 billion budget deficit at a time it’s also grappling with the federal government’s escalating threats, he said. Federal funding composes 28% of Washington’s budget, or $43 billion per biennium.
“The Keep Washington Working Act is consistent with — and requires compliance with — binding federal law,” Ferguson said. “It allows our state and local jurisdictions to prioritize limited law enforcement resources. We are confident we can defend it in court. However, Donald Trump has shown he does not care about the law.”
Ferguson said he and his team are working in tandem with the state Attorney General’s Office to defend Washington from illegal federal actions. He won’t let the federal government unlawfully and arbitrarily hold back funds that support people on Medicaid and the state’s education system, emergency relief, child welfare and much more, he added.
“This statement from the president underscores the need to engage in serious planning now, while the Legislature is in session, to prepare for ongoing and significant threats to our federal funding,” Ferguson said.
Trump’s administration has tried freezing large swaths of federal funding in recent weeks and axed thousands of federal-government jobs. State Attorney General Nick Brown has joined lawsuits over Trump’s “illegal” federal firings and financial-assistance freeze.
Reached for comment on April 10, Attorney General’s Office spokesperson Mike Faulk didn’t hold back.
“A better use of the president’s time would be to read the Constitution,” Faulk said in an email.
Local and state governments enjoy the authority to choose how their resources will be used, he said. And the Keep Washington Working Act fosters trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement, Faulk said.
“It ensures local resources won’t be co-opted to do work federal agencies are responsible for,” Faulk said. “This helps law enforcement focus on the most serious crimes in our communities.”
U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland, a Washington Democrat whose district spans parts of Pierce and Thurston counties, told McClatchy that the president’s threats illustrate that he’s “a petty and vindictive tyrant.”
“This is just another distraction from the fact that he’s done absolutely nothing to lower costs, has destabilized our economy, is putting people out of work, and doesn’t care if he harms children, families, the disabled, or seniors,” Strickland said.
Olympia in the crosshairs
City of Olympia spokesperson Kellie Purce Braseth said neither Mayor Dontae Payne nor City Manager Jay Burney were available to comment on April 10. But she provided The Olympian with a written statement.
She said part of offering sanctuary is a promise to protect those who cannot protect themselves from some onslaught bigger than them.
The city first declared itself a Sanctuary City in 2016 to offer safety to all residents, no matter their immigration status. They did so once again in 2022 to offer refuge to women in need of reproductive health care, and again earlier this year for the LGBTQIAS2+ community.
“We have received no specific directives from the Department of Justice, but have seen reports that the newly appointed U.S. Attorney General is seeking to withhold federal funds from Sanctuary Cities,” she said.
“While it is still unclear how these directives might actually affect Olympia, one thing is clear: Our city promised to be a place of shelter for our residents who face persecution, and Olympia is a city of its word.”