A Washington judge ruled on Friday, November 13, 2026, that the Adams County Sheriff's Office broke state law by helping federal immigration agents, and entered a permanent injunction ordering the county to stop. Spokane County Superior Court Judge Marla L. Polin found multiple violations of the Keep Washington Working Act in State of Washington v. Adams County Sheriff's Office and Adams County, No. 25-2-01212-32.

Source: Washington State Attorney General's Office

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) says this is the first time a state court has interpreted and applied the Keep Washington Working Act, the 2019 law that limits how local police, sheriffs and jails in Washington can help with civil immigration enforcement. Judge Polin also rejected the county's argument that the law violates the state or U.S. constitutions.

What the court found the county did

According to the AGO, the court found Adams County violated the law by sending daily lists of people newly in custody to federal immigration authorities; by sharing the anticipated release times of people in its custody with those authorities; by giving federal authorities access to interview a person in custody about a noncriminal matter without first obtaining that person's written consent; and by failing to adopt policies consistent with the AGO's guidance under the law.

The ruling describes a March 2023 episode in which a sergeant let a Border Patrol agent speak with at least one of two men he had arrested, without telling them they could refuse, according to a summary of the findings. It also says Sheriff Dale Wagner testified that, even after the state sued, he still consulted federal immigration authorities about entering into a 287(g) agreement — a formal local-federal immigration enforcement partnership that the state law prohibits.

Attorney General Nick Brown said: “This is a victory for the rights and dignity of all Washingtonians, regardless of where they were born, and an affirmation that local law enforcement cannot be co-opted by the federal government.” Brown said the ruling lets the state keep building trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities.

Two years of talks, then a lawsuit

The AGO filed suit in March 2025, alleging the Sheriff's Office illegally facilitated immigration arrests at the Adams County Jail, helped federal agents question people in custody, and routinely gave federal officials the confidential personal information of hundreds of Washingtonians. The office says the lawsuit followed more than two years of negotiations that were progressing until the county abruptly changed its stance after the presidential inauguration in January 2025. The Trump Justice Department sided with Adams County in 2025, arguing federal immigration law overrides the state law, according to Washington State Standard reporting cited in coverage of the ruling.

Why this matters beyond Adams County

Washington is home to large immigrant communities, including Punjabi families in the Seattle-Tacoma corridor and farmworker communities in eastern Washington counties such as Adams. The Keep Washington Working Act was written, its supporters say, so that people can report crime, appear in court and use local services without local jails acting as an arm of civil immigration enforcement. Friday's ruling is the first judicial test of that design — and it upheld the law against a constitutional challenge, which makes it a reference point for every sheriff's office, police department and jail in the state.

What happens next

The county must now revise its policies and train staff under the injunction. The Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the Washington State Standard reported, and it is not yet known whether Adams County will appeal. The state was represented by Managing Assistant Attorney General Emily Nelson and Assistant Attorney General Ben Seel.