(The Center Square) - A Spokane County Superior Court judge ruled Friday that Adams County repeatedly violated Washington’s sanctuary law by sharing inmate information and coordinating arrests with federal immigration authorities.

The ruling follows a trial in July that originated with a lawsuit brought by Washington Attorney General Nick Brown’s Office against Adams County and Sheriff Dale Wagner.

The court found that the county breached the 2019 Keep Washington Working Act, which restricts local law enforcement from participating in civil immigration enforcement, court documents show.

“The judge found Adams County violated the state Keep Washington Working Act in multiple ways, and concluded the law does not violate the state or U.S. constitutions,” Attorney General Nick Brown said in a press release. “It’s the first time a state court has interpreted and applied the provisions of the Keep Washington Working Act, which was signed into law in 2019.”

According to the court’s findings, jail staff sent daily "new in-custody" lists containing inmates' names, charges and dates of birth to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol officials between May 2019 and September 2023.

Staff also notified federal agents of inmates’ anticipated release times and allowed agents to conduct arrests inside the jail's secure booking area, according to court documents.

In one March 2023 incident detailed in the ruling, an Adams County sergeant handed a phone to a detainee so a Border Patrol agent could question him without obtaining the man's written consent or advising him of his right to refuse.

Court records show Wagner never updated the agency’s pre-2019 policy manuals after the law took effect because he "saw no need to change" them. Under the county's written manuals, corrections officers were still directed to notify federal officials whenever a "foreign national" was booked into custody.

In his defense, Wagner argued that the state law was unconstitutional and conflicted with federal authority, records show.

Wagner emailed more than two dozen other Washington sheriffs in May 2025, urging them to explore formal cooperation agreements with ICE, arguing that the state's enforcement lawsuit represented "a coordinated push to force compliance with laws that undermine local Sheriff authority, federal authority, restrict lawful cooperation with ICE, and ultimately place our communities at greater risk."

The court rejected the county’s constitutional challenges, ruling that the Keep Washington Working Act does not violate the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause or discriminate against the federal government. Citing federal precedent, the court noted that while the state law may make federal enforcement more difficult, "refusing to help is not the same as impeding."

The court also underscored the broader significance of the dispute, noting the importance of establishing "what the guard rails ... are of the Keep Washington Working Act" to prevent future conflicts between state and local officials.

“This is a victory for the rights and dignity of all Washingtonians, regardless of where they were born, and an affirmation that local law enforcement cannot be co-opted by the federal government,” said the attorney general’s press release. “Today’s ruling allows our state to continue building trust and confidence between law enforcement and immigrant communities as the federal administration undermines those efforts with its draconian policies.”