On March 31, Attorney General Brown came under investigation by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement after he filed a lawsuit on March 10 against Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner for his decision to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in apprehending criminal illegal immigrants, which violates the state's sanctuary statute known as the Keep Washington Working Act (KWW).
The Congressional committee sent a letter to Brown claiming that the KWW obstructs ICE operations and endangers the lives of American citizens. Brown was ordered to produce the following for review and had until April 14 to comply with the request:
- All documents and communication referring or relating to investigations into local law enforcement entities in Washington for their cooperation with federal immigration officials from January 1, 2023, to the present.
- All documents and communications referring or relating to state and local law enforcement agencies' interaction with ICE and US Customs and Border Protection from January 1, 2023, to the present.
- The number of ICE detainers that Washington state and local law enforcement officials declined to honor from January 1, 2023, to the present.
- The amount of taxpayer funding used to investigate and pursue legal action against the Adams County Sheriff's Department.
Furthermore, the attorney general said that some of the demands were "overly broad" or that the requested information could not be produced due to ongoing litigation against Sheriff Wagner. For these reasons, Brown did not produce the requested documents.
Attorney General Brown also defended his lawsuit against Sheriff Wagner, writing in the letter: "This case is not about politics or ideology, but instead simply about enforcing state law. The State cannot stand by when elected officials publicly boast that they are breaking state law and putting their own communities at risk."
The congressional committee had accused Brown of prioritizing "the needs of criminal illegal aliens over Washingtonians," and lambasted him for targeting Sheriff Wagner. "Federal law explicitly prohibits any restriction on communication between state or local entities and federal immigration authorities relating to an individual's immigration status," the committee members wrote in the letter. "The state of Washington not only actively thwarts federal immigration enforcement, but it also targets local law enforcement officials for complying with federal law."
In regards to the committee's claims that the KWW violates federal law, Brown said that "the law does not interfere with federal immigration law. Nor does the law undermine public safety."
The letter was spearheaded by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Chairman Tom McClintock (R-California), and Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-Washington).
Since President Trump assumed office in January, Attorney General Brown has established himself as a prominent figure in the opposition to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement agenda. He has initiated numerous lawsuits against the executive branch to fight on behalf of illegal immigrants. While Brown was filing the lawsuits, ICE ERO Seattle was in the field apprehending significant public safety threats, many of whom were released back into the community due to sanctuary laws. Some of the arrests have included suspected members of the Tren de Aragua terror group, a fugutive hitman wanted in his home country for murder, child rapists, and drug traffickers.
Members of the public can report immigration-related crimes or suspicious activity by calling (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
