As 10-year contract to run Tacoma ICE center ends, lawmakers demand transparency for the next The contract to run the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma is up for renewal this week. As the current contract between ICE and the private prison company GEO Group expires, lawmakers are pushing for transparency after years of human rights concerns at the facility. Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez
Months of deportation fears have shaken Northwest Latino cultural events ahead of Hispanic Heritage Month Concerns about rising U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests have had a chilling effect on many Latino cultural events in the Pacific Northwest this year. Many landmark events have been canceled, including several that celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Adia White/OPB
Wife of WA vet arrested by ICE at citizenship interview speaks out A Washington National Guard veteran was arrested Thursday during his final citizenship interview at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building in Tukwila. He is now being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez
Secrecy and enforced disappearances: WA human rights group sounds alarm about ICE The University of Washington’s Center for Human Rights is warning that federal immigration action has crossed a new boundary and is now breaking international humanitarian law. Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez
As DOJ threatens WA over sanctuary laws, state officials double down on protections Washington officials are responding to a letter from the federal government last week demanding they end so-called “sanctuary jurisdiction” policies — local laws stopping police from working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Scott Greenstone
Under Trump’s ICE, people without criminal history increasingly targeted in WA On the social media pages for the Seattle Field Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, scrolling lists of mug shots highlight people with criminal convictions. But these posts don’t reflect a growing pattern of who ICE is taking into custody. Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez
Immigration officials release Portland children detained near border After two weeks in custody, four Portland children have been released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, OPB has learned. Their parents are still being held at the ICE center in Tacoma. Troy Brynelson/OPB
King County ramps up efforts to protect immigrants from ICE The King County Council passed a resolution Tuesday that bolsters protections for immigrants and prevents county agencies from sharing information that could be used for immigration enforcement. Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez
WA farm labor organizer ends his deportation fight after 4 months in ICE detention A well-known farm labor organizer in Washington’s Skagit Valley, Alfredo Juarez Zeferino, has decided to give up his deportation fight for now and return to Mexico. Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez
Portland family detained at Washington border facility for 2 weeks in apparent violation of immigration policy A Portland-area mother and her four U.S.-born children have been detained by federal immigration officials for two weeks, an apparent violation of federal policy that limits how long people can be detained. Troy Brynelson/OPB
