Lincoln County Commissioners declares it’s not a ‘sanctuary county’ following inclusion on Homeland Security list

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners has formally declared that the county is not a “sanctuary county” after ending up on a federal list recently.

The resolution forbids county resources or personnel from being “intentionally used to obstruct or hinder the enforcement of federal immigration law” and expresses “appreciation and support for the efforts and policies of the Trump administration that are directed toward enhancing national security, security the nation’s borders, supporting law enforcement, promoting economic growth, and upholding the consistent enforcement of federal laws.”

According to the resolution, the county will also “continue to support and cooperate with federal, state, and local law enforcement in the lawful enforcement of all applicable laws, including federal immigration laws, to the extent permitted by the United States and Washington State constitutions and applicable statutes, in a manner consistent with the protection of individual liberties and civil rights.”

The resolution, adopted and signed on Monday, comes after the county was listed as one of 35 in Washington that the Department of Homeland Security considers “sanctuary jurisdictions.” This designation followed threats to withhold federal funding from jurisdictions that the federal government determines do not fully cooperate with the enforcement of immigration law.

“The Board of County Commissioners believes it is in the best interest of the citizens of Lincoln County, and for the maintenance of public order, safety, and the equitable application of laws, that Lincoln County not operate as a sanctuary jurisdiction and instead fully cooperate with federal authorities to the extent required and permitted by law,” the resolution states.

In a Facebook post Tuesday, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said the agency had “received questions regarding this listing error.”

“We worked with officials and other state sheriffs on this matter and the list has since been removed from the DHS website,” the post states. “The county commissioners have also adopted this resolution to make it clear that Lincoln County is NOT a sanctuary jurisdiction.”

On Tuesday, county Commissioner Rob Coffman wrote on Facebook that classification “could not be further from the truth.”

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security designated more than 500 cities, counties and states across the country as sanctuary jurisdictions that do not fully comply with the enforcement of federal immigration law. Washington state, along with 35 counties and Seattle, Yakima, Tacoma, Olympia and Everett, received the designation.

According to the list, qualification was “determined by factors like compliance with federal law enforcement, information restrictions, and legal protections for illegal aliens.”

In April, President Donald Trump directed the federal attorney general and secretary of homeland security to publish a list of states and jurisdictions he claimed obstruct federal immigration enforcement. According to the executive order, jurisdictions that do not comply risk the loss of federal funding.

“No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims,” Trump said in a provided statement at the time. “They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World. Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!”

The list, however, received near-immediate pushback from many of those included and was taken offline on Sunday. During an appearance on “Fox News” on Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said “some of the cities have pushed back.”

“They think because they don’t have one law or another on the books that they don’t qualify, but they do qualify,” Noem said. “They are giving sanctuary to criminals.”

On Monday, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown called the list “laughable” and said it “really adds to the fact that this is arbitrary and capricious action by the Trump administration.”

“We as attorneys general have to take those threats seriously and reaffirm state sovereignty,” Brown said. “Each of our states has adopted different policies over how local and state officials can cooperate with federal immigration enforcement officials.

“We do that to keep the public safe and make sure that people who are the victims of crime can cooperate fairly and freely with law enforcement without fear of immigration enforcement actions against them.”

While a majority of Washington’s counties appeared on the list, four – Adams, Douglas, Klickitat and Yakima – did not.

In March, Brown filed a lawsuit against the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, alleging its cooperation with federal immigration officials violates state law.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Spokane County Superior Court, alleges the sheriff’s office held people in custody based on their immigration status, gave immigration officials confidential information and helped federal immigration officials question those in custody, each of which the lawsuit alleges “expressly violates state law.”

Brown has cited the Keep Washington Working Act, which restricts local law enforcement from using local resources to help federal officials enforce immigration law and prevents local law enforcement from sharing nonpublic information with federal officials, except in certain scenarios.

During an event Monday, Brown called the lawsuit “the most difficult case” he’s brought during his time as attorney general.

“I didn’t want to do that,” Brown said. “Much like I don’t want to sue the Trump administration, it’s not fun to sue another local official, but the disregard for Washington state law was so obvious, so plain, we have all the receipts. This is a sovereign right of our state to set these boundaries.”

In February, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office retained attorneys from America First Legal, which was founded by Stephen Miller, a senior aide to Trump.

Spokane Rep. Michael Baumgartner and other members of a House oversight committee announced in April that it had begun to investigate the Keep Washington Working Act, and to Brown that the state’s “sanctuary law” prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials.

“By obstructing cooperation with federal immigration authorities, the state is actively shielding dangerous individuals and undermining public safety,” Baumgartner said in an April 1 statement. “It’s time for Washington to rethink these dangerous policies and put its communities first.”

In response, Brown denied allegations that the state “actively thwarts federal immigration enforcement” and “targets local law enforcement officials for complying with federal law.”

During an appearance before a House subcommittee in April, Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner said the lawsuit was “not about justice or protecting communities.”

“It’s about enforcing a political agenda that restricts law enforcement’s ability to cooperate with federal authorities,” Wagner said in his testimony.

According to the list published last week, the Department of Homeland Security has designated 14 states as sanctuary states.