By Chris S. Nishiwaki
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Public officials and immigrant rights advocates are fighting back against the White House’s draconian raids aimed at immigrants targeted for deportation.
In an effort to inform people of their rights, Ethnic Media Services (EMS) hosted a Feb. 7 panel discussion sharing advice for immigrants targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation. Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and other local elected officials have also moved to protect immigrants and are pressing the White House for answers on unlawful detentions.
The EMS panel discussion featured ImmSchools founder Viridiana Carrizales, Immigration Institute of the Bay Area Deputy Directing Attorney Amanda Alvarado-Ford, ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project staff attorney Oscar Sarabia Roman, and Latino Advocacy CEO Maru Mora-Villalpando.
ICE data shows a significant number of arrests of Indian, Chinese, and Russian immigrants. Mora-Villalpando said the majority of the detainees in the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma are from India. More than 200,000 people believed to be undocumented have been arrested over the past month, according to data from ICE. At least 8,000 people have been deported.
India’s opposition Congress party supporters protest in Ahmedabad, India, against the reported mistreatment of Indian immigrants during their deportation from the United States, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Placard in Hindi reads, “Modi government should answer, Modi government which spent 1 Billion Rupees for Namaste Trump event, why couldn’t provide employment to the people?”. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
EMS panelists emphasized the rights and protections of residents targeted by ICE.
“Immigrants who have contributed to this community have less due process than those fighting a traffic ticket,” Sarabia Roman said. “We are challenging this process that attacks due process and fundamental American values.”
The ACLU has filed three major lawsuits against the federal government, including suits against the ban on birthright citizenship, another one against shutting down migration for asylum seekers, and the last challenging expedited removal of detained immigrants, a policy that targets immigrants who cannot prove they have been in the country two years or more.
Alvarado-Ford emphasized that immigrants in the country for more than two years, including those without documentation, have the right to an expedited hearing. Alvarado-Ford also advised immigrants to exercise their right to remain silent, if detained by ICE agents.
In addition, she said that immigrants targeted by ICE should demand a judicial order signed by a U.S. District Court Judge, and are not required to respond to an ICE order. Furthermore, if an ICE agent comes to their home, they are not required to open the door to their home and can simply ask the agents to show the proper judicial order on the window.
Alvarado-Ford said ICE agents should be turned away if they show up without the proper orders.
If ICE agents come to a workplace, they are only allowed in reception areas and other publicly accessible locations but not in private office spaces.
Elected officials from Washington state also vowed to protect immigrants.
Jayapal and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla from California introduced the Access to Counsel Act last week to ensure that U.S. citizens, green card holders, and other individuals with legal status can consult with an attorney, relative, or other interested parties to seek assistance if they are detained by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for more than an hour at ports of entry, including airports.
The act will be introduced along with the NO BAN Act. Led by California Rep. Judy Chu and Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, the NO BAN Act is legislation meant to prevent yet another Muslim ban. All legislators submitting the bills are Democrats.
“It was incredibly clear how critical this legislation was under the first Trump administration, as he stripped basic civil rights away from individuals for reasons ranging from the color of their skin to the country of their origin,” Jayapal said in a statement on the Access to Counsel Act. “I remember rushing to my local airport and found a U.S. citizen woman waiting to welcome her husband who had been put on a plane back without being allowed to see an attorney, despite traveling on a valid visa.”
“It is more important now than ever, under a second Trump administration, that we codify the right to access counsel for detained persons who are legally allowed access to the United States,’ Jayapal continued in her statement. “As we continue to see him scapegoat immigrants, we must protect people from unjust detention.”
Jayapal, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, is also pressing the White House on reports that ICE wrongfully detained U.S. citizens during immigration enforcement raids.
“We write (to DHS and ICE) to request more information about troubling reports that U.S. citizens have been detained during immigration enforcement operations,” Jayapal said in a statement on her attempts to get reports. “A recent NBC News article highlighted multiple incidents in which American citizens were wrongfully detained during immigration enforcement raids. Additionally, Telemundo Puerto Rico recently reported on three U.S. citizens in Milwaukee (Wisconsin)—a toddler, his mother, and grandmother—who were detained and transported to an immigration detention center.”
Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an executive order last month to create a new rapid response team within the state Department of Children, Youth and Families to support children whose parents or caregivers are detained or deported.
“My administration will do everything possible to address the harms caused by a mass deportation and detention program,” Ferguson said in a statement about the executive order. “That includes making sure kids who are torn away from their parents have someone to care for them and uninterrupted access to their education.”
There are more than 5.5 million students in the U.S. who are constitutionally protected citizens and whose parents are undocumented, Alvarado-Ford said. Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal is resolute in protecting these children in Washington.
“In Washington state, we will do everything we can to protect our students, no matter their citizenship status,” Reykdal said in a statement regarding instructions for schools to protect children of undocumented immigrants. “Our public schools are a place where students from all different backgrounds come together to learn side-by-side. This is the rich diversity that America is known for, and we intend to uphold these values in the months and years ahead.”
Last week, U.S. District Court Judge for Western Washington John Coughenour became the second judge in the country to indefinitely block the ban on birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to parents without documentation. Just yesterday, a third federal judge issued an order blocking Trump’s attempt to strip children of citizenship.
The new State Attorney General Nick Brown said he will uphold the Keep Washington Working Act passed in 2019, which bans local law enforcement from asking people their immigration status or holding someone for immigration agents.
“We are prepared and committed to using the full power of the Attorney General’s Office to enforce Washington’s laws, to protect people’s rights, and to keep Washingtonians safe,” Brown said in a statement about Trump’s first-day executive orders. “We will uphold the law and we will fight when called upon for our shared values.”
The Asian Law Caucus, the country’s first Asian American legal and civil rights organization, is offering a list of resources for Southeast Asian refugees facing deportation.
Chris can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.