New ‘sanctuary’ list puts Tri-Cities in middle of fight between WA and feds
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- Homeland Security listed Benton and Franklin counties as sanctuary jurisdictions.
- Tri-Cities, WA officials cite state law constraints despite pledging federal support.
- Federal funding is at risk as Homeland Security pressures localities to revise policies.
Tri-Cities leaders have found themselves stuck in the middle of a major policy fight between Washington state and the Trump administration.
The Department of Homeland Security put sanctuary jurisdictions on notice this week that they are “deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws endangering American communities.”
Despite Tri-Cities elected leaders publicly supporting the Trump administration’s immigration policies, both Benton and Franklin counties made a now removed list of about 500 cities, counties and states with laws or ordinances that impact cooperation with Homeland Security and immigration officers.
Only four counties in Washington weren’t on the list, and one of them — Adams County — is being sued by the Washington Attorney General’s Office for helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Yakima was the only city in the area that was individually listed, though the county was not. Klickitat and Douglas counties were also left off.
Benton County Commission Chairman Jerome Delvin told the Tri-City Herald that he wasn’t surprised about the list, they had seen some version of it nearly a year ago. He believes this is just a case of being caught between state law and federal policy.
Gov. Bob Ferguson told McClatchy in a statement that the law keeps Washington residents safe, and they are confident it will stand up in court.
“Regardless of any label the federal government decides to apply, the Keep Washington Working Act is consistent with — and requires compliance with — binding federal law,” Ferguson said. “This law works well because it allows our state and local jurisdictions to prioritize limited law enforcement resources to keep Washingtonians safe, rather than allowing those scarce resources to be diverted to federal immigration enforcement. We are confident we can defend it in court.”
On Trump’s side
State law makes it very difficult for counties and law enforcement to cooperate with ICE on immigration matters.
Earlier this year Delvin asked the county’s legal team to review policies to see if they could expand cooperation with immigration officials at the county’s jail. He said the move could also potentially help the county bring in funds at a time when local jurisdictions are struggling with funding.
“I don’t care what list we’re on, I know what we do as a county,” Delvin told the Herald.
Benton County has never passed any resolution or ordinance supporting “sanctuary” status.
Delvin said their primary concern is putting the safety of citizens first.
“We’re gonna do what’s right for our county’s citizens, that’s the bottom line and I hope the other electeds would do the same in Benton County,” he said.
Delvin has previously said the commission is willing to take their fight to court to challenge the state’s “Keep Washington Working” law.
Passed in 2019, the law prohibits jails from entering into holding contracts with ICE or sending them lists of inmates to, it doesn’t prevent agents from coming to the jail every other day. It also bars law enforcement from sharing any information with immigration agents that isn’t already publicly available.
Delvin said the legal review found that they can hold inmates at ICE’s request so long as the agency has a warrant.
He believes the current board of commissioners would side with the Trump Administration in a fight to roll back the state’s sanctuary law.
Franklin County has been lock-step with Benton when it comes pushing back against the state’s immigration laws.
Franklin County’s new administrator Brian Dansel is a former Trump administration advisor and U.S. Department of Agriculture official. He was not available for comment on the issue.
Every county-level elected official in the Tri-Cities area is a Republican.
The state’s lawsuit against Adams County centers on an inmate held on contract in the Franklin County jail, but it is not listed as a plaintiff. The Adams County sheriff’s office is accused of transporting an inmate to ICE custody despite a judge ordering the man’s release.
Sanctuary list
Each jurisdiction on the list from Homeland Security is expected to receive a formal letter detailing an expected response.
The department is demanding they “immediately review and revise their policies to align with federal immigration laws and renew their obligation to protect American citizens, not dangerous illegal aliens.”
The list was created in response to an April 28 executive order mandating DHS identify communities obstructing immigration enforcement efforts.
While no consequences for noncompliance are detailed in the listing, the Tri-City Metro Drug Task Force, for example, was stripped of a $105,000 grant in 2018 due to the state’s sanctuary laws.
The executive order does not offer specifics, but does direct the Office of Management and Budget to work with DHS to “identify appropriate federal funds to sanctuary jurisdictions, including grants and contracts, for suspension or termination, as appropriate.”
It also directs the U.S. Attorney General to pursue legal action where appropriate.
More recently the Trump administration has directed other departments to review funding for noncompliance with Title IX policies on transgender athletes, leading to threats of funding loss from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maine.
Every city and county in the Tri-Cities area has signed onto a letter supporting the Trump administration’s efforts to bar transgender athletes from girls’ sports.
This story was originally published June 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "New ‘sanctuary’ list puts Tri-Cities in middle of fight between WA and feds."
