Trump is making a mockery of the constitution.
We don’t have to imagine what authoritarian overreach looks like. We are watching it unfold in real time. US Senators are being forcibly removed from press conferences, National Guard units are being activated by Donald Trump without consent, and Marines are being deployed against fellow Americans.
To make matters worse, NBC News has confirmed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing to deploy its Special Response Teams — militarized tactical units armed with long guns, armored vehicles, and riot gear — to five Democratic-led cities, including Seattle. These are the same forces used in Los Angeles, where federal agents confronted protesters with violence, triggering national outrage.
These units aren’t about enforcing the law — they’re here to stoke fear and incite conflict. Their purpose is to terrorize immigrant communities, suppress protest, and send a message to any city that dares to oppose Trump’s agenda: stay in line, or face the consequences.
Seattle has been targeted before. We’re being targeted again. And we have a choice: comply quietly, or resist boldly.
Resistance Isn’t Political — It’s a Moral Duty
On Wednesday night, hundreds of Seattle residents gathered in Cal Anderson Park, then marched downtown to denounce Trump’s ICE raids and the decision to deploy military forces in Los Angeles. They were met by police lines and surveillance helicopters. As the protest reached the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building, some participants lit fires and blocked roads. Police responded with chemical irritants and arrests. Meanwhile, in Spokane, hundreds protested outside an immigration office where refugees had reportedly been detained — and were met with tear gas and a citywide curfew.
The protests were a visceral, visible rejection of a federal government willing to deploy militarized force against immigrants and protesters alike. They were also a warning: what is unfolding in LA, in Spokane, in downtown Seattle — could become our daily reality if we don’t act.
We are a city that believes everyone deserves to feel safe in their own neighborhood — whether they’re undocumented, seeking asylum, or standing on the sidewalk holding a protest sign. Trump’s extremist immigration policies are not just unconstitutional — they are immoral. They are a warning shot to every city that has stood up for human dignity and the rule of law in our constitutional democracy.
What’s coming isn’t hypothetical. It’s being coordinated right now. Tactical ICE teams are on standby. Governor Ferguson has already begun preparing for the possibility that Trump will deploy troops in Washington State — without our consent.
I’m not naive. Trump will do what he wants — law or no law, consent or no consent. But that doesn’t absolve us. In fact, it demands more from us. We have two choices: we either use every legal, civic, and political tool we have to fight back — or we do nothing and become complicit in the violence, fear, and repression that follows. There is no middle ground. Silence and passivity are not neutrality — they are surrender.
Seattle city leaders must get ahead of Trump’s strategy to bypass local authority, unleash military-style agents, and hope cities like ours back down. We can preemptively seek federal court orders prohibiting Trump from federalizing the Washington National Guard, codify protections for the Seattleites his administration is targeting, and set an example for the rest of the country in countering his propaganda. Not only can we fight back, we must.
The Playbook for Protecting Seattle
We need to be absolutely clear: we will not allow Seattle to become a testing ground for authoritarianism. And resistance starts with using every legal tool at our disposal. The Seattle City Attorney’s office has a central role to play in defending our neighbors and our fundamental rights. Here’s how:
1. Sue Now. Don’t Wait for the Raids to Start.
We need to take this threat seriously and act preemptively. That means filing emergency injunctions against unauthorized federal deployments, challenging the legality of ICE’s tactical operations in local jurisdictions, and using the courts to put up every roadblock we can. Trump’s clear intent to violate the law establishes the showing of irreparable harm needed for an injunction; that means we have legal recourse for challenging his intimidation before Seattle suffers the same fate as LA.
2. Codify and Enforce Seattle’s Sanctuary Protections
We cannot afford weak or vague policy guidance. The City Attorney’s Office should already be drafting legislation to strengthen Seattle’s sanctuary city ordinance, which hasn’t been updated since 2003.
3. Defend Protesters, Immigrants, and Dissent
This isn’t just about immigration enforcement. Trump has been clear his goal is silencing protest. The City Attorney must be prepared to protect the rights of Seattleites who speak out, stand up, and resist. That includes civil rights litigation, community legal support, and coordination with movement partners. The Northwest Immigrants Rights Project has already been on the ground providing legal support for vulnerable Seattleites; the City Attorney’s Office should be amplifying and supporting their efforts by holding “Know Your Rights” workshops and making clear that the City will stand behind them if Trump’s administration threatens their volunteers with legal action.
4. Build a Legal Infrastructure for Resistance
We need a real-time legal response team — ready to act the moment ICE units roll into our neighborhoods. We need a public reporting system to ensure accurate, real-time information about ICE deployments is available to vulnerable residents, legal rapid-response coordination with community groups, and a plan to pack the courts if federal agents violate civil liberties.
5. Speak Out. Loudly. Constantly.
Resistance is a moral imperative. The City Attorney must not be silent. They must use the platform of the office to educate, alert, and organize. People need to know their rights. Communities need to know they are not alone. And most importantly, we must win this battle in the court of public opinion so the rest of the country knows what is at stake in this conflict: nothing less than our way of life as a free, democratic society.
Seattle: This Is the Moment
We’ve been tested before. During Trump’s Muslim Ban. During protests following the murder of George Floyd. During every moment when we’ve had to decide whether we will stand by or stand up.
This is another test — and it’s the most important one yet
I’m running for City Attorney because I believe the law can protect Seattle when it’s under attack — but only if we wield it with clarity, courage, and urgency.
We will not be silent as ICE terrorizes our neighborhoods.
We will not be silent as federal agents roll tanks through our streets.
We will not be silent while our neighbors are dragged from courthouses, buses, or homes.
Seattle is a city that fights for its people. If we don’t resist now, we risk losing everything that makes us who we are.
Seattle’s current City Attorney is a Republican who has campaigned for Trump in the past and appears hesitant to push back now. We need a City Attorney who won’t flinch, who won’t wait, and who will resist — with the law, with the people, and with every ounce of strength this city deserves.
Because Seattle doesn’t cower. We fight.
Nathan Rouse is a public defender, legal advocate, and father running to be Seattle’s next City Attorney. He has spent his public defender career standing up for people who have been failed by broken systems and fighting for fairness, accountability, and second chances. Nathan is running because our city needs a justice system that works for everyone—not just the powerful.