Ferguson signs executive order to support children if parents arrested by ICE

Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson signed an executive order in Seattle on Monday that creates a rapid response team to swoop in and support children and their families if mom or dad are arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and suddenly deported.

The Family Separation and Rapid Response Team will operate under Washington’s Department of Children, Youth and Families to develop policies in reaction to the Trump Administration’s policy to round up and send millions of illegal immigrants back to their country of origin.

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Ferguson signed the Order inside the Centilia Cultural Center in Seattle — a center run by El Centro de la Raza, a non-profit organization dedicated to defending the rights of vulnerable and marginalized populations. He was joined by Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and dozens of first-generation immigrants.

“We will stand up for your rights, we’ll protect your freedoms,” Ferguson said. “That’s central to who we are and we will continue doing that.”

ICE raids across country result in thousands arrested

One thing Ferguson’s order does not do is take steps to prevent ICE raids across the state. Recent immigration raids across the country resulted in close to 1,000 illegal immigrants being arrested, according to ICE social media posts. Most of those arrests happened in Chicago, Miami and New Jersey.

According to The Seattle Times Monday, two people were detained in Sunnyside in Yakima County, WA.

During his speech, Ferguson said he has been preparing for a year to defend against policies against any Trump Administration policies that, he believes, violate state or federal law. Part of the planning, Ferguson said was studying Project 2025, a political initiative and, many call, Republican playbook, published in 2023 by the conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation. Project 2025 includes plans to end birthright citizenship, which Trump attempted to do last week through a presidential executive order.

Last week, Brown sued Trump in federal court in Seattle over that order, while Senior U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour issued a temporary restraining order in place until the case could go to trial.

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Supporters of Ferguson’s order pointed to the issue of birthright citizenship as just one of many battles over immigration they could face in the coming months. They pointed to the pain and suffering many immigrants across the state have already felt.

“The dismantling of our immigration system is not just a moral and humanitarian disaster, it’s also an economic catastrophe that will spare no one,” Roxana Norouzi, Executive Director of One America, a Seattle organization that supports immigrants and refugees, said. “The real threat to our country is a system that forces hard-working families to choose between survival and safety.”

Luke Duecy is a reporter, editor and anchor at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Luke’s stories here. Follow Luke on X, or email him here.