As some Washington law enforcement leaders vow to help with mass deportations, immigration advocates prepare to resist

A Washington law that’s designed to protect immigrant rights could see new challenges as President-elect Donald Trump takes office. The state’s sanctuary law restricts how local law enforcement can aid federal immigration officials.

Yet some Washington state counties appear eager to help Trump fulfill his promise of mass deportations.

“I don't care if this is a blue state, a sanctuary state… they have an obligation,” Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer said in a video uploaded to his department’s social media page on Dec. 11.

The “they” Songer is talking about are government agencies he thinks should fall in line with Trump’s deportation plans, which could target millions nationwide.

RELATED: Western Washington groups scramble to admit refugees before Trump’s inauguration

The state’s Keep Washington Working Act, passed in 2019, prohibits local law enforcement from asking people their immigration status or holding someone for immigration agents. The law, however, does allow local officers to work with federal immigration officials in certain instances, such as taking down a human or drug trafficking ring, or if a person lands in state prison.

Trump’s incoming administration has signaled it plans to start mass deportations with a focus on people who’ve committed crimes. But like Trump, Songer said he wouldn't rule out targeting people who have illegally crossed the border or overstayed a visa. Those offenses can become a federal crime if done enough times.

A Department of Homeland Security report estimates 340,000 Washington residents are in the country without legal immigration status.

“This sheriff is not going to refuse to help ICE — we will be there with ICE to do the job,” Songer said in the video.

Days after Songer posted his video, the head of Washington’s Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs pushed back. Steve Strachan said the work of deportations is under the jurisdiction of the federal government — not local sheriffs.

“There is no direct federal authority… over local law enforcement. That is the unique and special nature of our system in America,” he later told KUOW’s Soundside.

RELATED: Washington sheriffs may face pressure between federal agencies and state law under Trump administration

Three other Washington counties have already been given a warning from the state Attorney General’s Office for violating the Keep Washington Working Act.

In the last four years, the AG has found Adams, Clark, and Grant counties have collectively worked with ICE more than a thousand times in potential violation of state law. In Adams and Grant counties, none of those interactions with ICE were connected to a criminal matter.

The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, an immigrant advocacy group, has also fielded concerns in other counties for similar activity, including Franklin, Lincoln, and Whatcom counties.

“We know that Keep Washington Working is not perfect, so we are trying to ensure that we're out doing outreach in those specific counties,” said Yahaira Padilla, a deportation defense coordinator for the organization.

RELATED: The immigration journey: How long does it take to feel like an American?

When someone gets arrested and detained, her job is to help connect them with bail or legal help. She hears stories about which counties are potentially violating the Keep Washington Working Act, she said.

If a local or state law enforcement officer begins asking about immigration status, people can invoke the right to remain silent, and can refuse to sign any documents until they speak with a lawyer, Padilla said.

She added that it’s important to set up a family plan in the event someone is arrested or detained, and part of that includes calling her organization’s hotline for help.

“I'm a mother, and that's something that I never want to think about… creating a plan for the worst to come. But we have to make sure that we are prepared,” Padilla said.

As a survivor of family separation and DACA recipient she said, her ties to this work are deeply personal.

“My story, like so many of our communities, is woven into the broader fight for immigrant justice,” she said.