Seven Democratic congressmembers from Washington state have joined a letter addressed to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons about an ICE operation conducted at Mount Baker Roofing on Wednesday in Bellingham.
Camouflaged ICE officers arrested 37 workers during a predawn operation at the company and transported them using buses.
The raid on Wednesday occurred less than a week following multiple events. farm workers were arrested In Ferndale,ICE officers apprehended several individuals, among them being political activist and labor organizer Alfredo (Lelo) Juarez Zeferino, who was temporarily held at an ICE detention center in Ferndale. before being transferred to the privately-run Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.
The correspondence emailed to The Herald from Representative Rick Larsen's office on Friday afternoon has been jointly signed by Larsen (WA-02) along with Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Emily Randall (WA-06), Adam Smith (WA-09), and Kim Schrier (WA-08).
Here is the complete content of the letter as follows:
We are writing to convey our significant worries regarding the recent activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) throughout Washington State. Particularly distressing is the most recent ICE operation that occurred in Bellingham, Washington. Such raids bring about profound negative impacts on our communities.
On Wednesday in Bellingham, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stormed into a business premises, brandished weapons at workers, and removed 37 individuals from their homes using inconspicuous vehicles. Over several months, the Trump administration had maintained that their immigration enforcement actions were aimed solely at 'the most dangerous' criminals and genuine risks to public security. However, evidence suggests that those apprehended recently are merely devoted parents striving to sustain their households and beneficial members of society.
Due to this raid and similar detentions nationwide, there’s growing dread among people about being forcibly apprehended by agents using anonymous vehicles. This anxiety is causing students and workers to feel terrified when attending classes or going to their jobs. It severely impacts tiny enterprises and regional economic activities. Moreover, it hinders state and local police from fostering and sustaining confidence within the populations they protect. Actions such as the one carried out in Bellingham by ICE are rendering our neighborhoods more hazardous.
Each person who is held has the right to receive fair treatment under the law, which includes being able to consult with a lawyer. We will keep a close watch on these cases to make sure that ICE complies with legal requirements.
In this regard, we ask that you promptly furnish us with the following details:
- Information about the people ICE came across during the operation, including how many were arrested categorized by gender, age, country of origin, immigration standing, and reasons why they were targeted in the raid.
- Details about the number of individuals who were taken into custody after having been granted a reprieve from deportation through means such as a stay of removal, an order of supervision, or another type of prosecutorial leniency under the guidelines active before January 2017.
- Details about the number of individuals among those detained who have outstanding asylum applications.
- How ICE might or might not have worked together with state and local police departments.
We eagerly await your reply."
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