OLYMPIA— In a joint press conference on January 26, Governor Bob Ferguson (D) and Attorney General Nick Brown (D) announced pre-emptive steps to hold “ICE agents accountable” in Washington state and to “protect Washingtonians” from Civil Rights violations. Ferguson and Brown also announced a letter they penned to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem urging her to exercise her authority to remove ICE agents from the state of Minnesota immediately, “for the safety of all.”
“Attorney General Brown and I cannot stop ICE from being in our state,” Governor Ferguson said during Monday’s presser. “We don’t have that power. No governor has that power, and no Attorney General has that power. On the other hand, we are not passive bystanders to what is happening, and we are prepared to use every tool at our disposal to mitigate against the harms inflicted by ICE.”
Monday’s presser comes 48 hours after the fatal shooting on Saturday of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, by Customs and Border Patrol agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
Originally, DHS officials portrayed Pretti as an imminent threat to CBP agents who “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” to “kill law enforcement” with “intent on massacring law enforcement.” However, as video evidence circulated on social media, the narrative by DHS fell apart.
The video shows the gun was holstered as Alex Pretti was pinned to the ground — contradicting claims by the federal government that he approached actively threatening with a drawn weapon. It appeared that an officer removed the gun from Pretti’s holster during the shuffle and the other officers thought Pretti was still armed, as he (Pretti) grabbed for his pistol he thought was still in his holster.
A witness in the paperwork filed with the Eighth Circuit Court reviewed by the Lynnwood Times read that she didn’t see Pretti “reach for or hold a gun,” “I didn’t see him with a gun,” and that he “didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help a woman up.”
Pretti was blocking CBP vehicles in the road prior to the scuffle with law enforcement, and he was seen to be helping a woman who was thrown to the ground by an officer.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, said during a briefing that the situation with regards to the fatal shooting of Pretti is a “fluid and fast-moving situation” and that the public should not “jump to conclusions.”
She added that elected officials are encouraging residents to interfere / obstruct federal law enforcement with deadly consequences and that President Donald J Trump is calling on Congress to pass legislation ending “sanctuary cities once and for all.”
Leavitt shared that President Trump outlined a “clear and simple path” to Gov. Tim Walz (D) to restore law and order in Minnesota and end the “surge of ICE agents” in his state:
- Governor Walz and Mayor Frey are to turn over all criminal illegal aliens that are currently incarcerated in Minnesota prisons and jails to federal authorities, along with all Illegal criminals with an active warrants or known criminal history, for immediate deportation.
- State and local law enforcement must agree to turn over all illegal aliens arrested by local police.
- Local police must assist federal law enforcement in apprehending and detaining Illegal aliens who are wanted for crimes.
Gov. Ferguson and AG Brown in their letter to DHS Secretary Noem, shared that they are “deeply disturbed and angered” by events in Minneapolis and urge her to “withdraw ICE agents from the state of Minnesota immediately.”
“They are killing Americans who are holding a camera,” Ferguson said to reporters on Monday. “ICE is, to be blunt, completely and totally out of control. To say that I’m angry is not the right word. I don’t have the right word for how I feel about it.”
He added that “if ICE escalates their presence in our state, we will need even more Washingtonians to step up and help.”
“We all have a responsibility to speak out, peacefully make our voices heard, and assist our fellow Washingtonians,” Ferguson said. “We will not allow this administration to turn our nation into an authoritarian regime. That is not our America, and we will not allow this administration to change that.”
Administrative Warrants
Ferguson and Brown also shared with reporters a 2025 memo by a whistleblower—signed by the acting director of ICE, Todd Lyons—disclosing a shift in DHS policy toward a DHS-issued administrative warrant—not an independent judicial warrant—to use force to enter homes to arrest someone with a final order of removal.
“Washington state leads in holding the Trump Administration accountable,” Gov. Ferguson said during Monday’s presser adding, “ICE cannot authorize itself to break into somebody’s home.”
Form I-205 “Warrant of Removal/Deportation” or Form I-200 “Warrant for Arrest of Alien” are based on administrative probable cause that a noncitizen is removable, often supported by a final order of removal, prior proceedings, or evidence of unlawful presence/status violations. These authorize the arrest and detention of the named individual for civil immigration enforcement (removal proceedings/deportation), not criminal prosecution.
“In every case we serve an administrative warrant, there is probable cause and the illegal alien has had full due process and a final order of removal,” DHS released in a statement to X. “Every illegal alien who DHS serves administrative warrants/I-205s have had full due process and a final order of removal from an immigration judge. Administrative warrants have been used for decades and the Supreme Court and Congress have recognized the propriety of administrative warrants in cases of immigration enforcement.
However, these administrative warrants explicitly do not authorize searches of premises nor persons beyond what is incident to a lawful arrest.
“The ICE memorandum that the governor spoke of basically instructs agents to ignore the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution, to throw it in the trash,” AG Brown said. “That represents a constitutional crisis at the level of everything the founders of this country warned us against.”
The Fourth Amendment protects anyone living on U.S. soil, regardless of citizenship status, from warrantless searches and seizures by the government.
In Steagald v. United States (1981) and in Payton v. New York (1980), courts have rule that “absent exigent circumstances or consent” law enforcement may not enter a home to make an arrest without a judicial warrant arguing “neutrality requirements”— neutral judgment between person and law enforcement.
No U.S. Supreme Court case has directly upheld forced, non-consensual entry into a private home (emphasis intentional) using only an administrative (non-judicial) warrant in immigration enforcement. Lower courts and experts generally conclude admin warrants suffice for arrest authority but not for overriding the home’s threshold without judicial oversight.
The 2025 memo, released by Associated Press, explicitly instructs DHS agents that they can knock, announce, and use force (e.g., breaching doors) to enter homes if there is a reasonable belief that their suspect is inside, relying solely on administrative authority tied to a final removal order.
In mid-January 2026, ICE agents conducted a raid on the home of a Liberian man in Minneapolis using a battering ram to forcibly enter the residence after knocking and announcing their presence. The operation relied solely on an administrative warrant (Form I-205) and a final order of removal, without obtaining a judicial warrant from a neutral magistrate.
Gov. Ferguson announced the following steps he is taking to safeguard Washingtonians from ICE:
- Commits to using every legal option to hold the federal government and ICE agents accountable if only an administrative warrant is used to gain entry into a private residence to apprehend a person.
- Effective immediately, Sarah Peterson, chief of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Assistance, will begin attending cabinet meetings. Also, a senior advisor on immigration policy has been hired.
- Ferguson is working directly with the Washington State National Guard to take whatever steps necessary to keep residents safe from the federal government.
- Have conversations with state and local partners on ICE.
- Support legislation to bar law enforcement from wearing face coverings—SB 5855. Also, support legislation to prohibit impersonation of law enforcement—HB 2165 and SB 5876.
In addition to the actions, Gov. Ferguson mentioned that he will partner with anti-ICE grassroot groups in the state’s efforts to protect Washingtonians from ICE.
“I would also add is that if things continue to escalate, if that happens here in Washington State, we’ll need to depend on those folks to partner with us on making sure that conduct of ICE agents is being recorded, which is deeply helpful as we saw this weekend in the face of the lies that came from federal officials,” Gov. Ferguson said.
The Lynnwood Times is awaiting a response from the Governor’s Office on how Ferguson envisions partnering with anti-ICE groups and a clarification if his statement gives De facto authority to these groups to employ the same methods in Washington state as in Minnesota.
Ferguson to Partner with Anti-ICE groups
The level of sophistication in surveillance and organizational structure being used by anti-ICE groups in Minnesota, revealed in a January 2026 Signal chat infiltration, share similarities to those of the Stasi—a state-sponsored secret police and intelligence agency of communist East Germany (called the German Democratic Republic) established by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany to maintain control and suppress political opposition.
The Stasi—established on February 8, 1950—was the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agency to have ever existed. It comprised a vast network of 91,000 full-time officers and some 189,000 regular citizens-turned-informants—some estimates have the figure as high as half a million. The Stasi perfected the technique of “covert persecution” — psychological harassment, smear campaigns, disinformation, and psychological subversion. It helped train secret police organizations in Ethiopia, Cuba, Egypt, Syria, and Neo-Nazi organizations in West Germany.
After German reunification in 1990, the surveillance files that the Stasi had maintained on millions of East Germans were opened. The files were maintained by the Stasi Records Agency until June 2021, when these became part of the German Federal Archives.
The anti-ICE groups in Minnesota maintained detailed databases (e.g., “MN ICE Plates” with over 4,600 entries on vehicle licenses, descriptions, and locations) and used SALUTE reports to track ICE agents’ Size, Activity, Location, Uniform, Time, and Equipment in real-time.
This echoes the Stasi’s vast dossier system, where they compiled files on millions of citizens using informants to monitor movements, communications, and associations for signs of dissent. Both involve grassroots networks of observers (anti-ICE: “chasers,” verifiers, and patrols; Stasi: Inoffizielle Mitarbeiter or IMs, comprising up to 1 in 6 East Germans) to gather intelligence on targets.
The Signal Gate infiltration revealed that the anti-ICE groups operated with a sophisticated structure, including rotating encrypted Signal chats to evade detection, with disappearing messages and 1,000-member caps. The employed a 24/7 voice dispatch for rapid mobilization, specialized roles, vetting processes, and nationwide coordination from hubs like Minneapolis to New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
The Stasi similarly used compartmentalized cells, informant recruitment, and advanced (for the era) tech like bugs and mail interception to maintain secrecy and efficiency in suppressing opposition.
The anti-ICE activists dispatched teams to tail, film, and confront agents (e.g., blowing whistles, building barricades with dumpsters, and doxxing), aiming to disrupt operations and alert communities. This bears resemblance to the Stasi’s “Zersetzung” (decomposition) techniques—psychological harassment, rumors, and indirect pressure to isolate and demoralize targets—though the current anti-ICE actions are more overt and protest-oriented.
Like the Stasi, the anti-ICE groups produced sensational videos, graphics, and narratives labeling ICE raids as “murders” or “abductions” to mobilize strikes and protests—known as “propaganda” and “framing.” The Stasi employed disseminated disinformation and controlled narratives to justify their actions and to vilify dissenters.
It was independent journalist Cam Higby on January 24, who infiltrated and exposed encrypted Signal chat groups used by the anti-ICE activists in Minneapolis. Higby shared screenshots, recordings, and clips revealing coordinated efforts to allegedly track and obstruct federal immigration enforcement operation that are now being investigated by the FBI.
High profile figures linked to the Signal chat groups are Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (Democrat, alleged alias “Flan Southside,” though she is denying involvement, is listed as a group administrator); Tim Walz campaign strategist Amanda Koehler; civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong (who led the protest into Cities Church); St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her; and Alex Pretti (VA nurse killed in a Border Patrol shooting, active in chats).
Others include Minnesota State Representative Brad Tabke (Democrat) who allegedly coordinates the Scott County ICE Watch Signal chat, including recruiting for patrols, dispatch, training, and support shifts at local churches; Minnesota State Representative Alex Falconer (Democrat) admitted to being part of signal chat group who recruited participants and helped lead community responses for ant-ICE activities; and Minneapolis City Councilman and well-known community organizer David Snyder (Democrat) listed as an administrator of the “MN ICE Watch” Signal group, involved in organizing, tracking, and alleged ICE obstruction efforts.
Now, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (Democrat) publicly supports “partnering” with such groups to resist ICE.
“It will not be an easy time for our state for the next few years, but we’re determined to work hard to get through it,” said Ferguson concluding Monday’s presser.
Joint Presser on Monday, January 26
Author: Mario Lotmore
