‘Comply or you’re next’: U.S. Attorney General threatens to send National Guard to Seattle

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi — who last week identified Washington and Seattle as “sanctuary jurisdictions” that impede federal immigration enforcement — threatened to deploy the National Guard.

“We are going to send in law enforcement just like we did during the L.A. riots, just like we’re doing here in Washington, D.C. You better comply or you’re next,” Bondi said.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson pushed back against Bondi’s commands.

“Washington state will not be bullied or intimidated by threats and legally baseless accusations,” Ferguson said at a press conference Tuesday. “Our state passed a bipartisan law that appropriately and lawfully limits the diversion of state and local resources to federal immigration enforcement.”

He added that Bondi’s proclamation would not sway his decision.

“Pam Bondi seems to believe that cavalierly citing criminal statutes and personally threatening me, a democratically elected governor, will result in compromising the values of my state — that is not going to happen,” Ferguson said.

Bondi sends Ferguson letter regarding immigration laws

Bondi sent Ferguson a letter on August 13, in which she told him to repeal laws that she said obstruct federal efforts. In the letter, posted by Ferguson on X, she cited a Trump administration executive order that could tie federal funding to immigration cooperation.

“The president directed federal agencies to identify and evaluate their statutory authority to issue grants, contracts, and federal funds, to determine where immigration-related terms and conditions may be added to combat sanctuary policies that violate federal immigration law,” Bondi wrote.

Ferguson responded in that X post by saying, “Washington state has no intention of changing our values in the face of threats from the Trump administration.”

Ferguson cites Keep Washington Working Act

Ferguson cited the Keep Washington Working Act, a 2019 state law that limits local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

“The Keep Washington Working Act is an important law that helps protect Washington families in the face of this assault,” Ferguson said. “The Keep Washington Working Act requires our state and local law enforcement to focus on keeping Washingtonians safe, rather than allowing limited resources to be used for federal immigration enforcement.”

Ferguson said he plans to issue a more detailed response to Bondi’s letter on Tuesday.

I will share a more detailed response to AG Bondi on Tuesday.

Washington state has no intention of changing our values in the face of threats from the Trump administration.

The federal government’s relentless targeting of law-abiding immigrants is wrong. The Keep Washington… pic.twitter.com/0YNAMzkBJe

— Governor Bob Ferguson (@GovBobFerguson) August 16, 2025

This story was originally published on August 18, 2025. It has been updated and republished since then.

Contributing: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio; Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.

Follow @FrankLenziKIRO