SPOKANE — A legal showdown is unfolding in Spokane County Superior Court, where Washington Attorney General Nick Brown has filed a lawsuit against the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. The state accuses the sheriff’s office of illegally collaborating with federal immigration authorities, a move that allegedly contravenes the Keep Washington Working Act (KWW). This detailed report delves into the complexities of the case, focusing on the vigorous defense mounted by Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner and his office.Background of the Dispute: The lawsuit centers on allegations that the Adams County Sheriff’s Office has engaged in practices forbidden by state law, specifically the KWW, which was enacted to ensure that local law enforcement agencies in Washington do not enforce federal immigration laws. According to the Attorney General, these practices include unlawfully detaining individuals based solely on their immigration status, enabling federal agents to interrogate detainees, and systematically providing immigration officials with confidential personal information of numerous Washington residents. Adams County Sheriff’s Firm Stance: Sheriff Dale Wagner has responded forcefully to the allegations, positioning the actions of his office within the framework of ensuring local public safety and adhering to legal mandates. “As Sheriff of Adams County, my top priority is ensuring the safety and security of our residents,” Wagner stated, condemning the lawsuit as an impediment to the sheriff’s office’s duty to uphold public safety.Wagner argues that the lawsuit mischaracterizes the nature of his office’s cooperation with federal agencies, which he says is crucial for combating crime effectively. “We do not enforce federal immigration law, but we also will not turn a blind eye to criminal activity—no matter who commits it,” he emphasized. According to the sheriff, the state’s accusations unfairly paint a picture of proactive immigration enforcement when, in reality, the office’s involvement with federal authorities is strictly incidental to broader law enforcement objectives.Details of the Allegations: The lawsuit specifies multiple instances of alleged legal breaches by the Adams County Sheriff’s Office:Detaining on Immigration Status: Individuals were reportedly held in custody based only on their immigration status, without any underlying criminal charges.Facilitating Federal Interrogations: The sheriff’s office is accused of helping federal agents to interrogate individuals about their immigration status while in custody.Sharing Personal Information: Confidential information such as birth dates, home addresses, driver’s license numbers, and fingerprints was allegedly shared with federal immigration authorities.In his press release about the lawsuit, Brown stated settlement talks with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office broke down after Donald Trump was elected as U.S. President. “Late last year Adams County was engaged in good faith settlement negotiations with our office,” Brown said. “But after the inauguration of Donald Trump, the county and its Sheriff’s Office suddenly hardened their stance, broke off settlement talks, and aligned themselves with an organization founded by a top Trump aide who is among the most virulent anti-immigrant voices in the administration.”In February 2025, Brown wrote that the Adams County Sheriff’s Office engaged legal services from America First Legal, an organization established by Stephen Miller. Miller, who served as an aide and homeland security advisor to President Trump, has been criticized for his harsh views on immigration and the negative statements he has made about immigrant communities. Brown says Miller has echoed white nationalist rhetoric and played a key role in developing some of the most severe immigration policies of the Trump administration, including the controversial family separation policy.According to Brown’s press memo, America First Legal has been actively opposing Washington’s laws. They issued a press release and initiated a social media campaign criticizing Washington’s immigration policies. Their website prominently features a banner that proclaims they are “fighting back” against what they call Washington State’s “Illegal Sanctuary Scheme.”Source ONE News reached out to Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner for further comment about Brown’s politicized claims. Wagner declined to respond. A statement was released from WAGOP Chairman Jim Walsh on WA Attorney General Nick Brown’s lawsuit against Adams County for adherence to federal immigration law:“Washington’s new State AG continues to follow in the steps of his predecessor and waste working people’s tax dollars on quixotic lawsuits against Trump, Trump, Trump. It’s becoming habit for the State AG and an embarrassment for the state. This time, he’s wasting taxpayer dollars by bullying tiny Adams County. That county is cooperating with federal immigration authorities to enforce federal immigration law. The State AG is grabbing cheap headlines by claiming that helping enforce federal law is against state law. It’s a craven argument that ignores long-standing traditions of constitutional law—and fails to protect the people of Washington.” “Article 1, Section 2, of the Washington state constitution acknowledges that: “The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the land.” The federal constitution says the same. For most of Washington’s history, the state honored this constitutional principle and recognized that the federal constitution—and federal law—pre-empts state law. Lately, though, political partisans lost in Trump Derangement Syndrome have started to whine that our state should NOT honor federal supremacy. With his attack on Adams County, the State AG joins that angry chorus. Such whining may benefit him politically, in the short run. But in the long run it’s bad for law enforcement, bad for the rule of law, and bad for the people of Washington state.” “It’s easy to dismiss lawsuits like this one as hyper-partisan “lawfare” and cheap theatrical stunts. But the State AG’s attack on Adams County is even worse than that. Adams County is not the only local jurisdiction in Washington choosing to work with federal agencies to enforce immigration law. A growing number of Washingtonians want our nation’s immigration law to be upheld. They support legal immigration—but know that illegal immigration is bad. Illegal immigration leads to lawlessness and crimes like the recent death of young Washington State Patrol Trooper Christopher Gadd, caused by a criminal illegal immigrant.“The State AG should keep in mind the illegal immigrant who killed WA State Trooper Christopher Gadd when he attacks Adams County for helping enforce immigration law. Enforcing that law might have prevented that criminal from killing that young Trooper.”Read More
WA Attorney General Sues Adams County Sheriff for Illegal Immigration Enforcement; Sheriff Strikes Back
