As you know, the communities NWIRP serves are under attack from the current Presidential administration. In Washington State, thousands of people have been detained or arrested just this year – many without a warrant and many of those arrests in violation of our Constitutional protections. These enforcement actions are often aimed at instilling fear and psychological harm–not just to the person directly impacted but to their loved ones and their communities.
I am thankful for Washington’s Keep Washington Working Act, which is one of the strongest laws in the country protecting immigrant communities. This law makes clear that state and local authorities will focus on fulfilling their responsibilities and serving their communities, rather than using limited resources to meddle in federal immigration matters. Without this law, and with the current budget provided to ICE, we would be experiencing a much higher level of harm, and many more of our loved ones would be in danger.
However, the harm our communities are experiencing cannot be minimized – as the federal government continues to abuse its power to target immigrant communities in our State. Something that has stuck with me during these dark times is the thought of the next generation that will look back at how we chose to respond in this moment – at how we chose to live our values through the actions we took in support of one another.
It is a testament to your values that you support not only NWIRP but the rights and dignity of all immigrants in our community. It is clear that we are stronger when we are focused on a unified goal. NWIRP has defended and advanced immigrant rights for over 40 years with the help of people like you who are stepping up – even when it’s difficult. Thank you for being on the right side of history.
District Court Grants Summary Judgment on Behalf of People Denied Bond at the Northwest Detention Center
Yesterday, the district court granted summary judgment in our case, Rodriguez Vazquez v. Bostock, ruling that community members who entered the U.S. without inspection and are currently being held at the detention center in Tacoma should now be eligible for bond hearings. If you know of someone who has previously denied a bond hearing who fits this description, please have them reach out to an attorney to schedule a new bond hearing and include a copy of the order available here on our website. This is a final judgement, meaning it is now binding on all class members.
Securing the Release of Community Members, Including Firefighter Rigoberto Hernandez
NWIRP has been active in filing individual habeas petitions in federal court (in addition to larger class actions and systemic challenges) to secure the release of several community members.
One of those community members, Rigoberto Hernandez Hernandez, was released last week after his unlawful arrest in August. Rigoberto is a firefighter who lives in Oregon, and was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol at his work site–while on the front lines battling the Bear Gulch fire. NWIRP served as co-counsel for Rigoberto alongside his attorneys from Innovation Law Lab, in filing a petition for habeas corpus and a motion for a temporary restraining order, requesting his immediate release. When ordered to respond to the habeas complaint, the government agreed to release Rigoberto and dismiss the removal proceedings against him.
In addition to securing Rigoberto’s release, in the last two weeks, we have also won orders requiring the release of community members from India, Morocco, and Venezuela, and have eight additional habeas petitions pending for community members who are currently in immigration detention. Thank you for your support which allows us to continue defending the rights of our community members and securing positive outcomes for them.
Gathering in Solidarity with our Supporters in Wenatchee
Earlier this month, we hosted our annual solidarity social at Icicle Ridge Winery to celebrate and support the ongoing work of our Wenatchee office. We had a wonderful evening with our supporters, enjoying amazing food and engaging in impactful conversations about how we are defending and advancing immigrant rights in North Central Washington through direct legal services and our expanded community outreach work. Thank you to everyone who joined us!
Evening of Justice at Wing Luke, Thursday, October 16
I hope you can join us for this special event to honor the invaluable contributions of our legal community, pro-bono attorneys, and dedicated volunteers who support our mission. This event is an opportunity for us to celebrate the impact of your tireless efforts, raise critical funds for NWIRP, and connect with fellow supporters who are committed to the immigrant rights movement.
Large Scale Raid Legal Response Training on October 20th
We will be hosting a free training for members of the legal community who are interested in supporting our fast-action immigration raid response work. The training will be on Monday, October 20th from 4pm – 5:30pm and will be led by NWIRP staff members.
Click here to register for the training
NWIRP Immigration Updates Webinar on October 21st
In English (and captioned in other languages): 5pm – 5:45pm
In Spanish: 5:45pm – 6:30pm
Audience: Immigrants, their loved ones, and other community members
Our team will provide updates on immigration policies and laws. The webinar will be in English from 5 – 5:45pm and in Spanish from 5:45pm – 6:30pm.
Click here to register for the webinar
We have several previous training videos and webinars available on our Vimeo page: Click here to access these recordings
With Gratitude,
Malou Chávez (she/her/ella)
Executive Director
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