When it comes to President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to deport migrants who are in the United States illegally, how should Washington and its cities respond — cooperate or resist?
A new poll asked Washington voters that question, and the response may be surprising to some readers. In deep-blue Washington, around half of respondents — 51% — believe the state should cooperate with the Trump administration in deporting migrants who are here illegally. Forty percent said Washington should live up to its “sanctuary state” status and resist the Trump administration, and 9% had no opinion.
The Keep Washington Working Act, which was signed into law by then-Gov. Jay Inslee in 2019, restricts local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials. Seattle and some other cities in Washington have also enacted similar “sanctuary” legislation.
The Cascade PBS Elway poll surveyed 406 Washington registered voters from Dec. 26-30. The survey was conducted through multiple channels, including online surveys and phone interviews. The margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.