WA Gov. Ferguson launches team to support children of deported parents

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson created a rapid response team on Monday, with the aim of supporting children separated from their families due to the Trump administration's "mass deportation" executive orders.

Ferguson signed his own executive order to form the Family Separation Rapid Response Team, which will be managed by the state's Department of Children, Youth & Families.

The rapid response team will "recommend policies and actions for addressing family separation and the lasting effects on children."

What is Trump's ‘mass deportation’ order?

The backstory:

On President Trump's first day in office last week, he signed a slew of executive orders on immigration, including "expedited removal" of immigrants, allowing arrests in churches and schools, and redefining birthright citizenship.

Already, his efforts have faced pushback in Washington and other states.

Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown led a multi-state lawsuit against the Trump administration to block his birthright citizenship executive order. A federal judge ruled in favor of the states last week, saying Trump's order was "blatantly unconstitutional" and blocking it from being carried out.

Even before either of them took office, then-Governor-elect Ferguson announced a subcommittee dedicated to "fighting" Project 2025 — the conservative political initiative published by the Heritage Foundation, which is expected to inform much of President Trump's official actions.

What is Bob Ferguson's executive order?

What they're saying:

At an event hosted at Seattle's El Centro de la Raza in Beacon Hill, Ferguson signed Executive Order 25-04 ordering the creation of the rapid response team.

According to Ferguson, the team will include professionals from DCYF, Washington State Patrol, the Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance, the Attorney General's Office and the Governor's Office.

"My administration will do everything possible to address the harms caused by a mass deportation and detention program," said Ferguson. "That includes making sure kids who are torn away from their parents have someone to care for them and uninterrupted access to their education, regardless of their immigration status."

What is Washington's Family Separation Rapid Response Team?

Why you should care:

The team will make policy recommendations to address "family separations and the lasting effects on children."

The Governor's Office says mass deportation policies will significantly harm children with undocumented parents, and often, the children are American citizens.

Ferguson has ordered the team to hold its first meeting by Feb. 14, 2025.

According to the Governor's Office, in their first meeting, the team will:

  • Review policies to identify any changes that can be made to assist families and children, especially in areas where a large number of children may be separated from their parents or caregivers at once
  • Identify policies to help children of deported or detained parents, in consultation with immigration and child welfare experts
  • Develop strategies with Washington's Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and local school districts to mitigate disruption to children's education and development
  • Create lines of communication between DCYF, OSPI and local school districts to quickly take action if a child's parents are deported or detained while they are at school
  • Collaborate with public universities and colleges to "support robust pathways to higher education" for children traumatized by their parents' deportation or detention

What's next:

The Family Separation Rapid Response Team will hold its first meeting by Feb. 14, 2025. The Governor's Office expects to be in regular contact with the team.

The Source: Information comes from the Governor's Office, with supplemental information coming from previous coverage by FOX 13 Seattle.

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Bob FergusonDonald J. TrumpImmigration