The second Trump administration has launched a sustained attack on our civil rights and civil liberties. As detailed in the ACLU’s analysis, President Trump promised and has acted to pursue mass deportations; attack diversity, equity, and inclusion practices; suppress the right to protest and retaliate against political dissidents; erase federal protections for LGBTQIA2S+ people; and promote unconstitutional and brutal practices in the criminal legal system. While Washington’s strong state constitution and civil rights laws offer some protection, we must be and are prepared to defend the rights of Washingtonians.
The ACLU-WA identified key areas where Washington’s legislature and executive branch may work collaboratively not to assist federal repression and advance a vision for the future where everyone in Washington lives with dignity and equity, enjoying freedoms unimpeded by racial and economic injustice and other forms of oppression.
This is just a small sample of the work being done in Washington and across the country by the ACLU across its nationwide network. Collectively, the ACLU has taken over 100 legal actions in less than 100 days to respond to the actions of the second Trump Administration. Take action and learn more about our plans nationwide at aclu.org/firewall. Learn more about our plans in Washington by watching our video:
TIGHTEN PROTECTIONS FOR THOSE WHO SEEK, PROVIDE, AND HELP OTHERS OBTAIN REPRODUCTIVE AND GENDER AFFIRMING CARE.
The second Trump administration will leverage federal law and funding to target gender-affirming and reproductive medical care across the country. Washington has made significant progress to protect providers, helpers, and patients seeking medical care in the state. Washington’s leaders should tighten protections in Washington’s Shield Law (HB 1469) to ensure that Washingtonians have access to critical health care.
PRIOR ADVOCACY:
- Protecting Washington Licenses: In 2023, we successfully advocated for a bill to protect the licenses of those providing reproductive or gender affirming care.
- 2023 Shield Law: We pushed for a policy to protect people seeking, providing, or helping others obtain reproductive or gender-affirming care that is lawful in Washington state, including by preventing nonfugitive extradition, and limiting Washington courts’ and law enforcement agencies’ cooperation with out-of-state investigations or legal proceedings.
- My Health, My Data: Together with a broad coalition of reproductive health advocates, providers, impacted people and the Tech Equity Coalition, we successfully advocated for the passage of a bill that safeguards private and sensitive health care information not protected by the Health Information Protection & Portability Act (HIPPA) in 2023.
- Eliminating Cost Sharing for Abortion: In 2023, we worked in coalition to encourage the legislature to pass an act protecting people from cost sharing requirements for abortion care.
ACLU-WA RESPONSE:
- Sheild Law Updates: We successfully advocated for the passage of tighter protections to Washington's Shield Law (SB 5632). Gov. Ferguson signed the bill into law on May 12, 2025.
NATIONWIDE RESPONSE:
- Gender Affirming Care in the Federal Bureau of Prisons: The ACLU sued President Trump over his executive order prohibiting gender-affirming care for people in federal prisons.
- Gender Affirming Care for Minors: The ACLU sued the Trump administration to block its executive order attempting to restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender people under the age of 19 nationwide.
SUSTAIN AND EXPAND EXISTING PROTECTIONS AGAINST MASS DEPORTATION AND IMMIGRATION RAIDS, AND INCREASE RESOURCES TO IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES.
President Trump has promised to mobilize the U.S. military and state National Guard to engage in mass deportation of immigrants, including targeting children and families. Washington law prevents state and local officials from voluntarily assisting or collaborating with federal immigration enforcement. And the state can additionally expand access to pardons for people facing potential deportation. Washington’s Governor and Attorney General should continue to defend and strengthen the Keep Washington Working Act, which prevents the use of state and local resources to voluntarily assist federal immigration enforcement. And, because of potential federal hostility to immigrant communities, Washington should invest in health equity for immigrants and provide support for newly arrived immigrants.
PRIOR ADVOCACY:
- Keep Washington Working: Working with a broad coalition of partners in 2019, we passed a bill that protects privacy and civil rights by prohibiting local and state law enforcement from questioning people about immigration status and facilitating civil immigration enforcement. This legislation prevents federal immigration agencies from commandeering scarce local public safety resources, eroding community trust, and negatively impacting our state’s economy, while supporting our agricultural labor workforce’s opportunity for upward economic and social mobility.
- Courts Open to All: We successfully advocated for the passage of a 2020 bill that protects all people from warrantless civil immigration arrests at courts, prohibits court staff and prosecutors from using state and local justice resources to report people for federal immigration enforcement, and requires courts to collect data on immigration agents’ surveillance of courthouses in Washington.
ACLU-WA RESPONSE:
- Health Equity for Immigrants: We successfully advocated for the inclusion of expanded resources for Health Equity for Immigrants in the upcoming state budget. This ensures that communities across the state are healthier and stronger by assuring that care is within reach for everyone, regardless of immigration status.
- Student Visa Revocations: As part of a wave of student visa revocations across the country, multiple students at institutions in Washington have had their visas revoked without notice or justification. We worked with allies and community leaders to provide information and legal referrals to help students with revoked visas get legal representation.
- Know Your Rights Trainings and Resources: We are sending speakers and sharing materials with organizations across the state to assure that people know about their rights. We are also expanding our know your rights resources into additional languages, like Marshallese and Chuukese.
- Red Cards: We created and are providing red cards to help individuals navigate interactions with enforcement officers. We also created mobile phone wallpaper with this information to ensure that it was always ready for use.
NATIONWIDE RESPONSE:
- Birthright Citizenship: The ACLU challenged an executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship.
- Expedited Removal: The ACLU challenged an executive order expanding expedited removal nationwide and to individuals who cannot prove physical presence in the United States for past two years.
- Alien Enemies Act: The ACLU sued the Trump administration over the expected unlawful and unprecedented invocation of the Alien Enemies Act.
The federal executive branch has claimed immense power to surveil, investigate, and impose sanctions that deprive individuals of their freedoms. The second Trump administration is likely to abuse broad surveillance powers to target political opponents with investigation and prosecution. Washington’s leaders and its agencies have the opportunity to limit collection and sharing of sensitive data to prevent misuse by the federal government and other states hostile to Washington’s policies, including limiting, eliminating, or auditing data sharing agreements with third-party cloud-based vendors.
President Trump threatened to use federal law enforcement and military to suppress protest. Washington’s leaders should limit collaboration with federal efforts to criminalize protest, continue to protect our state constitutional rights to free speech, and ensure that state and local law enforcement comply with and strengthen existing laws limiting the use of force and protecting those engaging in political dissent.
ACLU-WA RESPONSE:
- Protecting Free Speech on Campus: We sent an open letter to colleges and universities across the state to support the protection of students’ constitutional rights.
NATIONWIDE RESPONSE:
- Retaliation:
- The ACLU and the ACLU of MA joined the legal team for Rümeysa Öztürk, a former Fulbright scholar who came to the United States on a student visa and was grabbed, arrested, and detained by plainclothes federal agents in apparent retaliation for a Tufts Daily op-ed she co-authored last year in support of Palestinian rights.
- The ACLU and the NYCLU joined Mahmoud Khalil’s legal team, alongside Amy Greer, Center for Constitutional Rights, CLEAR, and Legal Aid. The Trump administration illegally arrested and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident and recent graduate of Columbia University, on March 8 in direct retaliation for his advocacy in support of Palestinian rights.
President Trump has promised to erase federal protections for LGBTQIA2S+ people and used particularly virulent rhetoric targeting transgender people. Washington’s leaders should strengthen state protections against discrimination and increase resources available to marginalized communities. Washington’s leaders should also resist attempts to censor academic discussion of race, gender and systemic oppression, and be prepared to fight any attacks by the federal government on education, employment, or economic opportunity initiatives.
ACLU-WA RESPONSE:
- I-2081 Litigation: We sued to stop the implementation of a harmful and improperly written initiative that would out LGBTQIA2S+ kids, expose them to harassment and discrimination, and make it harder for them to report abuse at home. Litigation is ongoing. In its 2025 session, the State Legislature passed several bills intended to address Initiative 2081’s harmful effects. In response, seven different initiatives have been filed to try to undo the legislative fixes. The ACLU-WA has filed ballot title challenges to all of these initiatives, citing concerns about inaccurate titles and summaries that mislead the electorate.
- Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association. We sent a letter to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), which is considering repealing a longstanding (17 year) state policy that respects the right of trans students to compete in sports consistent with their gender identity. We pointed out that this policy is consistent with state law, and we are prepared to take action to defend state law. After a legal review by the Washington state Attorney General’s office, the WIAA decided not to change its policies.
- Head Start Litigation: The ACLU, the ACLU of Washington, the ACLU of Illinois, and the Impact Fund are representing a coalition of parents and Head Start providers in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s coordinated and unlawful efforts to dismantle the Head Start program, which would be catastrophic for the millions of people who rely on it.
NATIONWIDE RESPONSE:
- Passports: The ACLU sued the Trump administration for refusing to issue passports with accurate sex designations for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people.
