Lewis County Democrats Official Statement condemning Lewis County Commissioners' Legally Flawed Anti-Sanctuary Resolution:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2025
Chehalis, WA – The Lewis County Democratic Central Committee strongly condemns today's passage of Resolution 25-158 by the Lewis County Board of Commissioners. The resolution is a legally contradictory and fiscally irresponsible measure that puts Lewis County taxpayers at risk of expensive litigation while failing to accomplish any of its stated goals.
Commissioner Sean Swope repeatedly claimed Lewis County has "no sanctuary policies," but this is factually incorrect. Lewis County judges signed the "Courts Open to All Act" policy in April 2021, which explicitly restricts immigration enforcement activities at courthouse facilities. Today's resolution directly contradicts this existing county policy, creating legal confusion and potential liability.
"Sean Swope either doesn't know about existing county policies or is deliberately misleading residents," said Zac Eckstein, Chair of the Lewis County Democratic Central Committee. "Either way, the lack of competence in basic governance is troubling, to say the least."
State law makes this resolution meaningless. Washington's Keep Washington Working Act (RCW 10.93.160) already governs local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. No county resolution can override state law. The resolution is purely symbolic political theater that wastes taxpayer resources while having zero practical effect on county operations.
False Claims About Federal Funding:
Commissioner Swope's claim that Lewis County risks losing "$37 million in federal funding" is misleading fear-mongering. The vast majority of federal funding to counties—including transportation, education, and healthcare funds—is legally protected from immigration-related cuts by Supreme Court precedent. Actual at-risk funding, if any, is likely under $1-2 million annually, primarily law enforcement grants.
Meanwhile, Adams County is currently facing expensive state litigation for violating sanctuary laws despite "cooperating" with federal immigration enforcement—proving that Swope's approach creates legal liability without federal benefits.
This resolution exposes Lewis County to the same legal challenges now facing Adams County, which is being sued by the Washington State Attorney General for sanctuary law violations. Taxpayers will bear the cost of defending legally problematic policies while receiving no practical benefits.
Call for Legal Review and Demand for Competent Governance:
Lewis County Democrats call on the county attorney to provide a public legal opinion on whether Resolution 25-158 conflicts with existing state law and county policies. Taxpayers deserve to know the potential legal costs before commissioners waste resources on symbolic resolutions.
We are particularly disappointed that Commissioner Lindsey Pollock, who has previously stood up for constitutional principles, joined this legally flawed decision. All three commissioners have now put Lewis County taxpayers at risk for the sake of meaningless political theater.
"We deserve commissioners who understand existing county policies, respect state law, and focus on real issues like infrastructure, economic development, and public safety," Eckstein said. "Instead, we get divisive political theater that wastes taxpayer money and puts us in danger of legal liability."
This resolution represents a disturbing pattern from Commissioner Swope, who has repeatedly proposed policies outside county authority, including library rating systems commissioners cannot enforce and preemptive mask mandate bans when no mandates were proposed.
Lewis County Democrats will explore all legal options to challenge this resolution and protect taxpayers from unnecessary litigation costs. We remain committed to competent, constitutional governance that serves all Lewis County residents.
The commissioners should focus on their actual responsibilities: maintaining county infrastructure, supporting economic development, and ensuring efficient delivery of county services—not wasting time and money on legally meaningless culture war resolutions.
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