This article was originally published by Northwest Public Broadcasting.
Chelan County prosecutors said they will no longer share information about immigrants’ court proceedings with federal immigration enforcement following an incident earlier this month outside the county courthouse.
Ryan Valaas, chief criminal deputy prosecuting attorney, said his office confirmed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement the sentencing date for Douglas Gramajo-Gomez. ICE agents arrested Gramajo-Gomez outside the courthouse after his sentencing.
The Keep Washington Working Act, a state law, prohibits law enforcement and courthouses from sharing information about an individual’s immigration status and prohibits arrests in, and within one mile outside, courthouses without a warrant.
“We absolutely do not provide or share documentation status with ICE,” Valaas said. “Going forward, this information will no longer be provided by our office and ICE will have to obtain this publicly available information another way.”
The incident also prompted county law enforcement to review proper procedures for how non-local law enforcement can operate in and around courthouses.
The situation occurred amid reports that across the country ICE is targeting unauthorized immigrants at their court hearings, including some who show up for immigration hearings, Axios reports. Under the Biden administration, agents could not carry out enforcement efforts in or near courthouses. But the Trump administration is allowing ICE to target courthouses.
On June 4, Gramajo-Gomez appeared in Superior Court for sentencing after having pleaded guilty to third-degree rape. He was sentenced to 12 months in jail, but the sentence was suspended and he was required to complete the requirements under a Special Sex Offender Sentencing Alternative, and three years of probation. The requirements include undergoing sex offender treatment for five years. If he does not complete the treatment, he will go to jail.
During the hearing, his attorney, Nicole Hankins, told the court she saw a prosecutor speaking with a federal agent. She raised the issue, arguing that the Department of Homeland Security was violating state law.
“I asked him directly and said, ‘Are you with the DHS?’ He said he was with Homeland Security and had interest in an individual that is in court today,” said Hankins.
According to public records, the court held a sidebar to address state law. Judge Kristin Ferrera said she was concerned in the audio recording that someone had shared details of the case with federal immigration officials, saying it would violate state law and court rules to do so. ICE was present in the lobby, the judge requested for them to come into the courtroom to remind them of the state law and that they must check in with county security. By the time of the request, the officers had left the building.
Chelan County court rules require that non-local law enforcement, including federal agents, must check in at courthouse security before attempting an arrest. They are required to provide their name, agency and the enforcement action they intend to take. After the intake, security would then notify the judge that federal agents were present. If they were to make an arrest in the courtroom, ICE would need to present a judicial warrant. That did not happen in the Gramajo-Gomez case, Ferrera said.
ICE waited for Gramajo-Gomez to be sentenced and escorted out, then arrested him outside the building.
Rachel Pashowski, with Wenatchee for Immigrant Justice, said it’s “alarming” that federal agents are “somehow communicating with, or present in the courtroom, for people who are trying to access the courts.”
Court schedules, including sentencing hearings, are typically available through public court dockets online or by contacting the Chelan County’s clerk’s office.
Valaas, from the prosecutor’s office, said that Micaela Meadows, the deputy prosecutor for the case, confirmed public information only to DHS – the scheduled court hearing.
Chelan County officials, including Judge Ferrera, Sheriff Mike Morison, and Prosecuting Attorney Robert Sealby, gathered on June 11 to discuss arrest protocols.
“It’s a violation of the statute and it’s a violation of the court rule, and if anybody is providing information to federal immigration,” Ferrera said at the sentencing. “ The presence of intent of individuals attending proceedings or accessing court services in court facilities, unless it’s required by federal law or court order, is prohibited as well.”
Morrison said he proposed signage to guide visiting law enforcement on where to check in at the courthouse. Under the new protocol, private security hired by the court will work alongside deputies and maintain a required sign-in log.
While courtroom security is managed by the sheriff’s office, not prosecutors, Sealby said there is an understanding that law enforcement, particularly federal officers, should sign in upon entry. Still, if those officers choose not to comply, enforcement of the protocol has limited options because the courthouse is a public building.
“We can ask them to log in or sign in,” Sealby said. “If they don’t, there’s not a whole lot we can do about it.”
Ferrera said that judges have authority inside courtrooms but cannot control what happens outside.
“We can report a violation, and the Administrative Office of the Courts can escalate it to the Attorney General,” Ferrera said.
Both Ferrera and Morrison stressed the importance of interagency cooperation and communication.
“Each agency has their own responsibilities, but we want to be good partners,” Morrison said.
Ferrera added, “My understanding is that, going forward, security will log these incidents, and the court will be notified. That’s the law, and we all want to follow it.”
Reneé Diaz is a Washington State University Murrow News Fellow who reports for The Wenatchee World and Northwest Public Broadcasting, which originally published this story on June 27. 2025.
