KCBA Board of Trustees— Statement on the Rule of Law
By Sidney Tribe
In the wake of the federal government’s recent large scale immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, many bar associations and individual lawyers alike have expressed their concerns about lawless, unconstitutional actions such as unlawful use of deadly force, entering into private homes without a judicial warrant or permission, chemical agents used at close range on peaceful protestors, placement of citizens on “domestic terrorist” watchlists for simply expressing First Amendment protected speech, and more. Such actions have not been limited to Minnesota, and many smaller scale unlawful acts are ongoing right here in King County, to say nothing of the alarming reports of detainee abuse at the large federal immigration detention center in Tacoma. And there is no guarantee that a larger operation will not be conducted in Seattle.
Given KCBA was founded to combat violations of the legal and human rights of Chinese immigrants and given KCBA’s core mission to uphold and advance the rule of law, the Board of Trustees unanimously agreed that our organization should not stay silent and approved the following statement. In addition, the Board formed a working group to gather resources and action items that anyone can take in support of those who are the targets of unlawful immigration enforcement activities. The Board will review and disseminate the product of the working group’s discussions when ready.
Statement on the Rule of Law—March 9, 2026
King County Bar joins the rising chorus of individuals and institutions speaking out against increasing illegal and reprehensible federal government actions.
KCBA was founded in response to vigilante lawyers and judges who violated the constitutional, civil, and human rights of Chinese immigrants making contributions to the economy, civil life, and culture of this region. KCBA’s existence is rooted in vehement opposition to violent and oppressive action against immigrant populations.
It is not a subject for scholarly debate whether ICE, CBP and other government actors have been breaking the law. In Minnesota and elsewhere, masked and plain-clothed agents, claiming federal government authority, are depriving people of their rights, their freedom, their humanity, and, in some cases their lives. Shooting a person dead when they pose no threat is illegal. Breaking down doors of private homes without a judicial warrant is illegal. Arresting, detaining, and deporting people without due process of law is illegal. Knowingly violating court orders is illegal.
Although King County has not yet seen a “surge” on the size of actions in other cities, our local population is impacted. ICE seizures are up significantly from the same period in 2024, and 47% of detainees have no criminal conviction or even pending charges.1 One of the largest ICE detention facilities in the country is in neighboring Pierce County. There are issues with crowding, poor food and sanitation, inadequate medical and mental health care, insufficient clothing and blankets, use of solitary confinement, and lights on 24/7. Infectious diseases including Covid, chicken pox, and TB have been reported.
Governmental lawbreaking and deprivation of rights are hardly novel in this country’s history. From the dehumanization and deprivation of chattel slavery, to the oppression and displacement of indigenous peoples, to the killing of civil rights and Vietnam war protesters, to the passage of bigoted and unconstitutional laws oppressing women, racial minorities, and LGBTQ+ people, to the police brutality that led to the Black Lives Matter movement, this country has a long history of failing to live up to its founding principles. And when reflecting on these historical failings, observers frequently and rightly characterize these failings as “un-American” because they violate the constitutional structures that define the United States.
If there is anything novel about the current regime, it is its insistence that our country is defined solely by borders on a map and the people we choose to exclude from those borders. This is the rationale the federal government, and some state governments, currently employ to persuade the population that randomly seizing people off the streets without arrest warrants and breaking down doors without search warrants is necessary for our “national security.” And the regime is laying the rhetorical groundwork for its true endgame: the ludicrous assertion that it only lost the 2020 election because non-citizen immigrants illegally voted en masse. They are making clear that Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, Minneapolis, and possibly other cities are training grounds for a force that could be deployed to intimidate voters and prevent a free and fair election.
We must not allow the diminishment of our country by reductive and cynical arguments advanced to seize extra-Constitutional power. Since its founding, our country’s borders have substantially changed. Whom our government has chosen to admit or exclude has also been ever-changing. We have still been the U.S., with all its flaws and aspirations. What defines this country is not a map or a demographic chart—it is the United States Constitution. The biggest national security threat currently facing the U.S. is the federal government’s insistence that it need no longer obey our founding laws.
The Constitution is not self-enforcing. The question “can they do this?” misses the point entirely. They are violating constitutional rights with impunity knowing they face no repercussions. But the forces that can prevent future illegal actions are twofold: first, every patriotic person’s refusal to comply in advance; and second, the exercise of public and private power by individuals and institutions to oppose lawbreaking. KCBA has, is now, and will continue to use whatever power it wields, including its First Amendment power, to effect change and stop illegal activity. This is a constantly evolving situation and, in order to best respond, we are reaching out to partner organizations and community leaders to form a working group. This group will identify local actions lawyers and non-lawyers alike can take to protect civil rights and the constitution, and the Board will then act on those recommendations.
Sidney Tribe is president of the King County Bar Association and can be reached at kcbaboardpresident@kcba.org.
1 https://www.cato.org/blog/5-ice-detainees-
have-violent-convictions-73-no-convictions
