Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an Executive Order this morning creating a task force within the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) that will support children and youth who face the risk of family separation due to recent immigration enforcement actions.
Gov. Ferguson signed Executive Order 25-04 – which created the task force – this morning at El Centro de la Raza in Seattle alongside dozens of families and immigration activists who cheered on as they witness the state’s commitment to reduce the trauma associated with unnecessary family separations.
The task force, made up of representatives of DCYF, the Washington State Patrol, the Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance, the Attorney General’s Office and representatives of the Governor’s Office, will recommend policies and actions aimed at supporting children who experience family separation through the deportation or detention of their parents or caregivers.
“My administration will do everything possible to address the harms caused by a mass deportation and detention program,” Gov. Ferguson said. “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.”
Ferguson ordered the rapid response team to hold its first meeting by Feb. 14. During the press conference announcing the task force, DCYF Secretary Tana Senn emphasized DCYF’s commitment to keep children safe and reducing unnecessary family separation.
“We are standing ready to work together to make sure that children in mixed-status families are protected and supported,” she said.
The task force will:
- Review agency policies and procedures to identify any changes that can assist in responding to the separation of families. This includes situations when a large number of children in the same geographic area may be separated from their parents or caregivers at the same time.
- Create proactive lines of communication between DCYF, OSPI, and local school districts to permit quick and responsive action when prompt cooperation is needed to support the child, including if a child’s parents are taken for deportation or detention while the child is at school.
- Work with state universities, colleges, community colleges and Running Start to ensure and support robust pathways to higher education for children who experience the trauma of having their parents or primary caregivers deported or detained.
“I’m so grateful to Governor Ferguson for making this one of his first actions to make sure we are protecting families across Washington State,” Secretary Senn said. “I want youth to know that we care for you, we want to reduce trauma, and we will take care of you because that is what Washington State does.”