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Washington leaders urge peaceful protest, warn against federalizing National Guard
Summary
Governor Ferguson and state and local officials urged peaceful demonstrations and warned that federalizing the National Guard would be a dangerous escalation, saying Washington will coordinate across city, county and state partners to protect protesters and public safety.
Governor Ferguson convened elected officials and community leaders at a press conference to urge peaceful demonstrations ahead of planned protests and to warn against federal intervention, saying, "Don't give Donald Trump an excuse to try to federalize the National Guard here in Washington state like he did in California." The governor said Washington has joined a lawsuit filed by California challenging the president's actions and that state leaders are preparing contingencies with local partners.
The message was repeated across speakers: U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal called peaceful protest "fundamental to American democracy" and urged nonviolent resistance; Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell described tactical preparations and said the city would coordinate with state partners and activate emergency operations functions so departments are aligned; King County Executive Shannon Braddock said the county would "resist the unlawful and unconstitutional actions" she described as federal overreach while protecting the right to protest.
Labor and local officials pushed complementary themes. Faye Gunther, president of UFCW 3000, warned that a federal "political stunt" would harm frontline workers and urged demonstrators to organize after protests: "We have the right to protest. We are going to protest together nonviolently, and then we're gonna go organize." King County Council Chair Jeremiah Zahilay urged a range of responses—legal, political and civic—saying, "We must protest. We must resist. We must sue. We must advocate. We must vote people out of office who do not represent our values."
Officials emphasized coordination rather than confrontation. Ferguson said he had been in close communication with city and county leaders and the National Guard and described multiple meetings to plan for contingencies. Mayor Harrell said the city would not coordinate with ICE and that much of the information officials are responding to comes from tweets and social media; he and others said they were reviewing intelligence with law enforcement partners and talking about chains of command.
The conference closed with officials offering to meet with members of the public after the event to discuss individual incidents. Leaders said they will continue meetings through the weekend to monitor demonstrations, coordinate public-safety responses and encourage protesters to remain peaceful.
