Attorney General calls shadow-docket Supreme Court decision allowing race-based ICE tactics 'abysmal'

The Washington attorney general criticized a recent Supreme Court order, Nome v. Perdomo, that was issued on the court’s shadow docket and said it allows ICE to target people in part based on race, ethnicity or language.

“It is a shameful decision,” the attorney general said. “It basically says that people of color in The United States Of America, regardless of their citizenship, are second class citizens in the eyes of the law.”

Nut graf: The attorney general warned the decision could have broader consequences if the court later formalizes the ruling after reaching the merits, and said the office will closely monitor the issue and act to protect Washingtonians’ civil rights.

During the press conference, the attorney general described the immediate scope of the order as limited to the Los Angeles facts in Nome v. Perdomo but said Justice Kavanaugh’s language could immediately influence how ICE operates elsewhere. The attorney general expressed concern that a formal extension of the ruling could allow federal and local law enforcement to consider race in enforcement decisions, reversing long-standing civil-rights protections.

When asked how the state would respond, the attorney general said the office’s priority is to defend Washington state law and the U.S. Constitution and pursue legal action where federal decisions unlawfully affect state residents.

The attorney general framed the issue as part of a broader pattern of federal actions the office is monitoring, reiterating the new litigation tracker and the office’s readiness to litigate if necessary.