OLYMPIA, Wash. – Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown hosted a press conference at the state capitol Monday, addressing a controversial ICE memo.
The memo directs agents to use force to enter homes without a judicial warrant, sparking concern from state leaders.
“The Constitution matters,” Ferguson said. “We will defend it and ensure that people of our state are safe and secure in their homes. Second, I’m making some changes in our organization to help us coordinate our efforts in regard to ICE activity in Washington state.”
In a media Availability Tuesday, Washington Republican leadership spoke out against Ferguson’s comments.
“We have really big challenges here in the state of Washington,” Washington Senator John Braun said. “And I don’t want to take away from the tragic events in Minnesota, but I also don’t want to be diverted from our very really problems here.”
Other leaders echoed that sentiment, calling on Washington leaders to tone down what they described as incendiary rhetoric.
“I think what we’re seeing is a lot of politicians upping the rhetoric escalating and it’s not what we need right now,” Washington Representative Chris Corey said. “We need transparency. We need an investigation. We need to make sure those things happen it’s true whether it’s in Minnesota or Washington, but unfortunately a lot of politicians are seeing this is a moment for their time to get in the spotlight, to make it about then and to make it about catching news headlines now this should be about letting law enforcement do what it needs to do to understand and have a true investigation.”
