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A state judge found that Adams County’s sheriff routinely fed jail data to federal immigration agents in violation of the Keep Washington Working Act, and ordered the practice stopped.
A Spokane County Superior Court judge has ruled that Adams County violated the Keep Washington Working Act, the 2019 state law that limits how local police and jails help federal immigration enforcement. The Nov. 13 decision, in a lawsuit brought by Attorney General Nick Brown, declares the county’s conduct unlawful, permanently bars the sheriff’s office from continuing it, and requires new policies and staff training, according to the attorney general’s office. Brown’s office said it is the first time a state court has interpreted and applied the law, and the court rejected the county’s argument that the statute is unconstitutional.
The case matters beyond one rural county of roughly 20,000 people. Washington’s law has been on the books for seven years, but until now no judge had said what it actually forbids at the jailhouse level. Other sheriffs now have a written ruling describing which jail-level contacts with ICE and Border Patrol cross the line.
The jail practices the court found unlawful
According to the attorney general’s office, the court found four kinds of violations: sending federal immigration authorities daily “new in-custody” lists of people booked into the Adams County Jail; telling them when inmates were expected to be released; letting agents interview people in custody about noncriminal matters without first getting the person’s written consent; and failing to adopt policies that comply with the law and with the attorney general’s model guidance.
The Washington State Standard, which reviewed the ruling, reported that Judge Marla Polin found the county broke the law each time it sent one of those lists, a practice that ran from 2019 into 2023. The outlet also reported that at least half a dozen people were released directly to Border Patrol between May 2021 and March 2023, three of whom had no local charges pending. The Center Square, citing court records, reported that agents were allowed to make arrests inside the jail’s secure booking area.
Release dates are the detail practitioners will notice. A jail that tells agents when someone walks out can hand that person over without ever formally honoring a detainer.
Why the Supremacy Clause defense failed
Adams County and Sheriff Dale Wagner argued that federal law, including 8 U.S.C. 1373, which bars states and localities from restricting the sharing of information about a person’s citizenship or immigration status, conflicts with the state statute. Wagner had urged other Washington sheriffs in May 2025 to “lawfully partner with the federal government,” the Washington State Standard reported. Neither Wagner nor the county attorney commented on the ruling to that outlet.
The court disagreed, holding that the law does not violate the state or federal constitution. The Center Square reported that the judge drew a distinction between refusing to help federal agents and actually impeding them. That line tracks the anti-commandeering doctrine the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed in Murphy v. NCAA in 2018, under which the federal government cannot compel state officers to carry out federal programs, and it echoes the Ninth Circuit’s 2019 decision upholding most of California’s comparable sanctuary law in United States v. California.
Brown called the outcome “a victory for the rights and dignity of all Washingtonians.” His office says two years of negotiations collapsed when the county changed course after the January 2025 inauguration; the suit was filed in March 2025 and tried in July 2026.
Where the fight goes from here
No appeal had been reported as of Friday. If the county does appeal, the case would move into Washington’s appellate courts, where a published opinion would bind every county in the state, something a trial court ruling cannot do. The ruling also does not limit ICE or Border Patrol themselves. Federal agents can still make arrests in Washington; what changes is how much help a county jail may give them.
The larger pattern is a widening split among states. Texas requires local cooperation, as the dispute over Houston’s ICE cooperation order shows, while Virginia’s limits on local agreements are before the Fourth Circuit. The Justice Department lost one round in its suit against New York City, while DHS has publicized releases it attributes to California’s law. A federal challenge to Washington’s statute, or funding conditions aimed at it, would be the next escalation to watch. For people booked into Washington county jails, the practical effect is that booking alone should no longer trigger a notice to federal agents.
This article is for general information and is not legal advice.
Sources
- Washington Attorney General’s Office, “Judge rules Adams County violated Keep Washington Working Act” (Nov. 13, 2026)
- State of Washington v. Adams County, Spokane County Superior Court ruling (Nov. 13, 2026)
- Washington State Standard, “County violated WA law restricting coordination with ICE, judge rules” (Nov. 13, 2026)
- The Center Square, “Washington court finds county broke sanctuary law by aiding ICE” (Nov. 13, 2026)
- 8 U.S.C. 1373, Communication between government agencies and the Immigration and Naturalization Service
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