OLYMPIA, Wash. — Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown held a news conference Monday morning, condemning federal immigration officers after an ICU nurse was shot and killed in Minneapolis.
The pair wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, stating they would hold the U.S. government and individual agents accountable:
Secretary Noem, your administration now openly authorizes ICE agents to forcibly enter people's homes without a judicial warrant.
— Governor Bob Ferguson (@GovBobFerguson) January 26, 2026
That is blatantly unconstitutional – ICE cannot authorize itself to break into people’s homes.
If ICE attempts such unconstitutional measures in… pic.twitter.com/ewPNnPPzDe
Furthermore, the pair laid out the steps state leaders are taking to protect people from federal agents.
“We are prepared to use every tool at our disposal to mitigate against the harms inflicted by ICE,” Ferguson said.
First, he made it clear that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents cannot enter someone’s home without a warrant—no exceptions, despite a leaked internal memo that indicated otherwise.
Second, he said the state is reorganizing its leadership structure to better coordinate how to handle ICE activity.
Third, the governor shared that he’s in talks with the National Guard about ways to protect Washington residents. He shared that he met on Sunday with Major General Gent Welch of the Washington National Guard.
When asked at what point he would consider activating the Guard, Gov. Ferguson didn’t share specifics but said he wouldn’t hold back.
“I’m not going to be shy about doing that if I think it’s necessary to help protect the people of our state,” he said. “That’s the criteria for me.”
Fourth, he’s working closely with state and local leaders to coordinate response plans.
Finally, he is asking lawmakers to expedite the bill that would prevent agents from covering their faces. He is also focused on legislation that would prohibit individuals who are not law enforcement officers from making, providing, or possessing badges or other law enforcement insignia.
Not a single Republican lawmaker in Washington voted for the face coverings bill.
“The state can say, ‘we don’t want you doing this, we don’t want you doing that.’ But they’re superseded by federal law anyway, so the old face mask law is just window dressing.” Fortunato said.
Fortunato describe Brown’s and Ferguson’s press conference as “antagonistic.” He blames sanctuary policies for forcing the hand of federal agencies to go door to door for immigration enforcement.
“The sanctuary state policies that require them to go into the communities because they can no longer go into jails or into the courthouses to do it.” Fortunato said.
Outside analysis of DHS data finds that roughly 5% of those detained were convicted of a violent crime.
“If you’re going to go after the worst, you don’t target parents dropping their kids off at their preschools. You don’t go to hospitals.” Brown said.
Some Republicans in Washington State have called for more information to be publicized about the shooting, including Rep. Michael Baumgartner who represents Eastern Washington in D.C.
“I’m disturbed by what I’ve seen from today’s video from Minnesota. It’s critically important that the American people and Congress be given a better understanding of how immigration enforcement is being handled,” a tweet from Baumgartner’s X account read in part.
Fortunato said he didn’t have the chance to see the cell phone videos showing the fatal shooting of Pretti. He watched a CBS News breakdown of the incident showed to him by KIRO 7.
“[Agents] being worked to death, they’re being frazzled and all that stuff, and that’s why you need to have that continual oversight, you need that continial change,” Fortunato said, “[Agents are] going to be tired, you’re gonna overreact, and things like that. But, that doesn’t give them the right to break the law. It doesn’t get them the way to be excessive.”
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