I hope you have had the opportunity to enjoy the start of summer. In June, the NWIRP team joined in celebration of both Juneteenth and Pride Month to commemorate significant historical events related to freedom and equality. While our community continues to suffer from the constant attacks on our rights from the current Administration, we are grateful for these opportunities to gather together to celebrate our values with one another.
NWIRP staff and friends with their loved ones, along with board member Tania and her family
Supreme Court Birthright Citizenship Ruling Limits Individual Judges’ Ability to Block Unlawful Policies Nationwide
While disappointing, the Supreme Court’s ruling Friday morning in the consolidated birthright citizenship case that NWIRP is a part of focused solely on the ability of parties in federal court to seek universal (often referred to as nationwide) injunctions. As such, the ruling did not impact the case filed by NWIRP, which was brought as a class action. NWIRP is able to continue to push forward on behalf of class members, asking the Ninth Circuit to affirm the injunction that Judge Couhenour issued in federal district court. Moreover, the ruling should not impair the states, like Washington State, from obtaining relief necessary to protect the States’ interests.
Most importantly, the Supreme Court did not rule on the constitutionality of the President’s Executive Order to end birthright citizenship. To date, every court to review the substance of the Executive Order has struck it down as plainly violating the U.S. Constitution. We remain confident that the rule of law will prevail and the Executive Order will ultimately be rejected once and for all as blatantly violating the Constitution’s guarantee of birthright citizenship, a fundamental pillar of our democracy.
NWIRP Immigration Updates for Community Members and Service Providers Webinar on Tuesday, July 22nd
In Spanish: Noon – 12:45pm; In English: 12:45pm – 1:30pm
Audience: Immigrants, their loved ones, service providers and other community members.
Our team will provide updates on immigration policies and laws, as well as provide a brief training for immigration service providers. The webinar will be in Spanish from noon – 12:45pm and in English from 12:45pm – 1:30pm.
Click here to register for the webinar
NWIRP Immigration Updates and Know Your Rights Webinar on Tuesday, August 26th
In English: 5pm – 5:45pm; In Spanish: 5:45pm – 6:30pm
Audience: Immigrants, their loved ones, service providers and other community members.
Our team will provide updates on immigration policies and laws, as well as provide a brief ‘know your rights’ training. The webinar will be in English from 5pm – 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
Update on Immigration Enforcement Presence at Immigration Court
Last month, we shared about the immigration enforcement presence at the Seattle immigration court, resulting in the detention of multiple community members who appeared at their immigration hearings in good faith. NWIRP staff and volunteers took action and were present at the courthouse each day for several weeks to share Know Your Rights information about immigration court proceedings with community members, observe courtrooms, and support in important ways, all in an effort to limit the number of unjust detentions and deportations. I am grateful to everyone who took action over the past month to shed light on this situation, voiced their support for immigrant communities, and spent time assisting people at the courthouse during incredibly difficult moments.
Last week, I shared with our staff and team of volunteers that immigration officers have not been present at the courthouse for about a couple of weeks – and as I write this, they have not returned in the days since. However, it seems like they’ve simply adjusted their tactics – arresting at least one person on his way to the courthouse instead of at the building itself. In addition, we anticipate the deployment of tactical ICE workplace immigration raids in Seattle and throughout Washington State.
The NWIRP team will continue to monitor trends and provide support to our client communities as these threats continue. Thankfully, we are ready to respond thanks to your continued support.
Supreme Court Ruling Leaves Noncitizens Vulnerable to Torture or Death in Third Country Removals as Case Moves Forward
We are very disappointed to share that also last week, the Supreme Court paused a lower court injunction that had required the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to give people meaningful notice and opportunity to express fear before deporting them to countries not named in their removal orders. The injunction, which resulted from a class-action lawsuit brought by NWIRP and our partners at Human Rights First and the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, had provided critical protections to noncitizens facing torture in third country removals, and this ruling leaves thousands of people vulnerable to deportation where they could face torture or even death, even if the deportations are clearly unlawful.
In its summary order, the Supreme Court did not address the merits of our claims. It is also important to note that the ruling does not impact the district court’s class certification in this case. Instead, it only takes issue with the court’s authority to afford important protections at this intermediate stage of the case – we now need to move as swiftly as possible to conclude the case and restore these protections.
Despite this disappointing ruling, we will continue to seek relief for the eight men whom the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) targeted for removal to South Sudan. These men are currently being held in a shipping container on a U.S. naval base in Djibouti, following a separate order from the district court stopping DHS from removing them to South Sudan. The court held that DHS violated its prior order by attempting to remove them without adequate notice and an opportunity to present an application for protection based on what would happen to them if they were removed to South Sudan, a country with a repressive security apparatus and a history of arbitrary detention and torture that is also now on the brink of renewed civil war.
Reflecting on DACA’s 13th Anniversary
This month marks 13 years of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA Program, which has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of community members across the United States. Since 2012, DACA has continued to provide work authorization and protection from deportation for individuals who came to the United States as children. While the program has been unfairly attacked by anti-immigrant groups, legislators, and leaders, in January of this year the Fifth Circuit Court stayed a district court ruling, which means that for thousands of people with active DACA status, that status remains valid.
DACA was born out of the undocumented student movement, with communities mobilizing around and responding to Congress’s inaction on immigration reform. And more than 13 years later, Congress still has not acted. DACA recipients are an integral part of the fabric of our country, and we will continue to fight so that one day Congress will finally act and give them a path towards citizenship.
For now, the DACA program continues to protect DACA recipients, providing life-changing benefits. If you or someone you know is a DACA recipient, please encourage them to continue to renew their DACA protection and work authorization. You can find a calendar of our upcoming free clinics as well as register for one online by visiting our DACA portal.
Celebrating A Family Reunion
Earlier this month, our client Ahmadi was finally reunited with his family after being separated since August of 2021. The Seattle Times joined Ahmadi and his NWIRP attorney, Alison Hollinz, at SeaTac airport to document the happy reunion and share the incredible story of how it happened. Read the article here!
NWIRP is on Bluesky (And Elsewhere)!
If you missed our announcement last month, we are now on Bluesky, an open-source social media platform designed as an alternative to platforms like X (formerly Twitter). If you already use the platform, please give us a follow! We also continue to maintain a strong social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Thank you so much for your shared commitment to justice. With your support, we will weather the storm because our communities are depending on us to do this work.
With gratitude,
Malou Chávez (she/her/ella)
Executive Director
Follow us on social media!
