Immigrant Support Task Force
2020 Action Report
The Immigrant Support Task Force is a working group of Indivisible Skagit. The Task Force was formed in 2017 as Donald Trump was inaugurated US President on a platform of persecuting, excluding, and deporting immigrants. People in Skagit were concerned about the safety and well-being of our neighbors and community members, especially those who are undocumented. Our goal is to provide concrete, specific, tangible support to immigrants in Skagit by responding to the needs they express to us directly. We have continued this important work even during the pandemic, adapting what we do in light of health and safety guidance.
We welcome new members. We provide training for all our activities. You do not need to speak Spanish to join in. Many of our members do not. But, if you do speak Spanish, or any of the indigenous languages spoken by the local immigrant community, we need your help. Task Force actions are rewarding on many levels. Don’t miss the chance to take action on your values. Get connected to the Task Force by email to [email protected]
2020 has been a very busy year. This is some of what we accomplished.
We welcome new members. We provide training for all our activities. You do not need to speak Spanish to join in. Many of our members do not. But, if you do speak Spanish, or any of the indigenous languages spoken by the local immigrant community, we need your help. Task Force actions are rewarding on many levels. Don’t miss the chance to take action on your values. Get connected to the Task Force by email to [email protected]
2020 has been a very busy year. This is some of what we accomplished.
Masks for Farm Workers
Task Force members collected, made, and delivered hundreds of reusable masks as well as other essential items like diapers, warm rain gear, gas cards, and school supplies for local farm workers and their families, working with staff at the CCS Farmworker Center on College Way, and staff at MVHS.
Task Force members collected, made, and delivered hundreds of reusable masks as well as other essential items like diapers, warm rain gear, gas cards, and school supplies for local farm workers and their families, working with staff at the CCS Farmworker Center on College Way, and staff at MVHS.
Demanding Accountability from County Prosecutor
When community members asked for our support after the brutal beating of a young Latino student, we wrote elected Prosecutor Rich Weyrich demanding that a hate crime charge be added to the charges, or that he meet directly with the family of the victim and their chosen community representatives to explain why the charge should not be filed.
We published an article in Skagit Scoop about the community’s concerns which got over 13,000 views.
https://skagitscoop.org/blog/skagit-county-prosecutor-refuses-to-file-hate-crime-charge-ignores-community-requests-for-explanation/
We succeeded in pressuring Weyrich to meet with the family, though he did so without providing the interpreter the family requested. Following the Scoop article, KING 5 News and Cross Cut have also done stories covering the horrendous crime and the Prosecutor’s lack of transparency and sensitivity regarding the case. Now he has asked for a meeting with the Task Force, Latino Civic Alliance, and the Anti-Defamation League of Washington.
Pro-immigrant posters in the works
Two local artists, one a Task Force member, are collaborating on a poster to educate the public about immigration status. We plan to use these posters as well as yard signs from https://www.welcomeyourneighbors.org to show visible support. The text for the poster will read:
Living in the US without documents is not a crime.
It is a civil infraction, like a parking ticket.
Skagit Rapid Response Team
A team of Task Force members and allies has been trained to respond to reports of ICE or Border Patrol actions in Skagit. We provide training to RRT members, and we coordinate response to any reported incident. In 2020, the RRT responded to several reports of ICE action.
Court and Jail Release Accompaniment
Community members have requested our presence for court dates and jail release for those who are vulnerable because of their immigration status. The Task Force has accompanied 7 people, supporting their families with information and our physical presence to keep their family members safe in these settings. Over 16 Task Force members and friends have participated in these actions. This experience is richly rewarding. We provide training to anyone who wants to join in. We also raised money for bail to get one dad out of jail.
Securing Driver’s Licenses
One thing we learned through accompanying folks to court is that immigrants often get caught up in the court system for driving without a license. Sometimes there are language or literacy barriers, and sometimes they just can’t pay the fees. Task Force members funded scholarships for several youth, a group of women, and several others for instruction and testing with a local, bilingual driving school. The business owner has also adapted curriculum materials for those who are not literate.
Monitoring Jail Practices
In 2019, the Washington Legislature passed a bill, known as Keep Washington Work (KWW) which prohibits local law enforcement from sharing information or collaborating with ICE/CBP in any way. In the course of our court and jail release accompaniment, the Task Force documented 3 cases in which jail staff turned community members over to ICE after they had been ordered released from jail by a judge, and one case when ICE was permitted to interview an inmate without informed consent, all contrary to the law.
Two Task Force members met with Chief of Corrections Don Marlow and Undersheriff Chad Clark to present our documentation and ask for information about KWW compliance. The meeting was positive. However, monitoring continues because procedures are not yet in place to insure the safety of our community members. We are working with ACLU-WA, Columbia Legal Services, NW Immigrant Rights Project, and WA Defender Association on this Task Force initiated project.
Fighting for Bail Bonds Equity
Another thing we learned through court and jail accompaniment is that bail bond companies routinely call jail staff to ask about immigration status. We accompanied 3 families for whom a bond was denied because jail staff told the bond company there was an “immigration hold” on the person. KWW prohibits local law enforcement from honoring these Detainer Requests, as they are called, from ICE, but says nothing about sharing the information with bail bondsmen. We addressed this issue in our meeting with the Chief of Corrections and Undersheriff. They both agreed verbally that this practice should be halted and told us they would instruct their staff accordingly. One family is making a list of the bond companies that denied bond to their family member. ACLU-WA is planning to do an advocacy campaign with those companies around this issue.
Immigration Court Accompaniment
Task Force members have written letters of support for the hearings of community members, and accompanied folks to their hearings and required check ins. We learn so much about the system in the process, and this opens up new ways to use our privilege to the benefit of folks who don’t have it. We have developed strategies for writing letters even if we do not know the person directly, by using personal statements from the person or their family as the basis for our letter of support.
WAISN Hotline Response
The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network is a statewide organization run by and for undocumented immigrants. They operate a hotline for emergency needs related to ICE/CBP and, since March 2020 for emergency needs related to COVID for undocumented community members. Our Task Force responds to referrals from the WAISN hotline for folks in Skagit. Task Force members have responded to more than a dozen people in need of court accompaniment, food, connection to resources, transportation, and other needs. Several Task Force members have compiled a growing list of help available in Skagit.
Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth Is
Though Americans are generally squeamish about fund raising, Task Force members have contributed money for basic needs, bail, driver’s education, legal help, medical debt for a young undocumented mom, a motel room for a family that became homeless because of COVID, and many other needs. People give what they can if they can, and amazingly it is enough to make a big difference for a vulnerable family in Skagit.
Support for Young Men Seeking Asylum
Several Task Force members volunteered with non-profit organizations at the US southern border. They met 9 young men from Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Ghana who had fled for their lives from their home countries and reached the US via Ecuador and endless, hazardous miles walking north with other refugees from Central America. We’ve learned much more about the currently abusive asylum system as women from the Task Force and allies have supported these young men in the petition process: securing their release from detention, finding sponsors and housing, connecting them with lawyers, pressuring the system and even members of Congress on their behalf. And shedding tears when “Credible Fear” hearings have gone badly under the Trump administration changes to the rules. Task Force members have written letters and raised funds to support these young men.
When community members asked for our support after the brutal beating of a young Latino student, we wrote elected Prosecutor Rich Weyrich demanding that a hate crime charge be added to the charges, or that he meet directly with the family of the victim and their chosen community representatives to explain why the charge should not be filed.
We published an article in Skagit Scoop about the community’s concerns which got over 13,000 views.
https://skagitscoop.org/blog/skagit-county-prosecutor-refuses-to-file-hate-crime-charge-ignores-community-requests-for-explanation/
We succeeded in pressuring Weyrich to meet with the family, though he did so without providing the interpreter the family requested. Following the Scoop article, KING 5 News and Cross Cut have also done stories covering the horrendous crime and the Prosecutor’s lack of transparency and sensitivity regarding the case. Now he has asked for a meeting with the Task Force, Latino Civic Alliance, and the Anti-Defamation League of Washington.
Pro-immigrant posters in the works
Two local artists, one a Task Force member, are collaborating on a poster to educate the public about immigration status. We plan to use these posters as well as yard signs from https://www.welcomeyourneighbors.org to show visible support. The text for the poster will read:
Living in the US without documents is not a crime.
It is a civil infraction, like a parking ticket.
Skagit Rapid Response Team
A team of Task Force members and allies has been trained to respond to reports of ICE or Border Patrol actions in Skagit. We provide training to RRT members, and we coordinate response to any reported incident. In 2020, the RRT responded to several reports of ICE action.
Court and Jail Release Accompaniment
Community members have requested our presence for court dates and jail release for those who are vulnerable because of their immigration status. The Task Force has accompanied 7 people, supporting their families with information and our physical presence to keep their family members safe in these settings. Over 16 Task Force members and friends have participated in these actions. This experience is richly rewarding. We provide training to anyone who wants to join in. We also raised money for bail to get one dad out of jail.
Securing Driver’s Licenses
One thing we learned through accompanying folks to court is that immigrants often get caught up in the court system for driving without a license. Sometimes there are language or literacy barriers, and sometimes they just can’t pay the fees. Task Force members funded scholarships for several youth, a group of women, and several others for instruction and testing with a local, bilingual driving school. The business owner has also adapted curriculum materials for those who are not literate.
Monitoring Jail Practices
In 2019, the Washington Legislature passed a bill, known as Keep Washington Work (KWW) which prohibits local law enforcement from sharing information or collaborating with ICE/CBP in any way. In the course of our court and jail release accompaniment, the Task Force documented 3 cases in which jail staff turned community members over to ICE after they had been ordered released from jail by a judge, and one case when ICE was permitted to interview an inmate without informed consent, all contrary to the law.
Two Task Force members met with Chief of Corrections Don Marlow and Undersheriff Chad Clark to present our documentation and ask for information about KWW compliance. The meeting was positive. However, monitoring continues because procedures are not yet in place to insure the safety of our community members. We are working with ACLU-WA, Columbia Legal Services, NW Immigrant Rights Project, and WA Defender Association on this Task Force initiated project.
Fighting for Bail Bonds Equity
Another thing we learned through court and jail accompaniment is that bail bond companies routinely call jail staff to ask about immigration status. We accompanied 3 families for whom a bond was denied because jail staff told the bond company there was an “immigration hold” on the person. KWW prohibits local law enforcement from honoring these Detainer Requests, as they are called, from ICE, but says nothing about sharing the information with bail bondsmen. We addressed this issue in our meeting with the Chief of Corrections and Undersheriff. They both agreed verbally that this practice should be halted and told us they would instruct their staff accordingly. One family is making a list of the bond companies that denied bond to their family member. ACLU-WA is planning to do an advocacy campaign with those companies around this issue.
Immigration Court Accompaniment
Task Force members have written letters of support for the hearings of community members, and accompanied folks to their hearings and required check ins. We learn so much about the system in the process, and this opens up new ways to use our privilege to the benefit of folks who don’t have it. We have developed strategies for writing letters even if we do not know the person directly, by using personal statements from the person or their family as the basis for our letter of support.
WAISN Hotline Response
The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network is a statewide organization run by and for undocumented immigrants. They operate a hotline for emergency needs related to ICE/CBP and, since March 2020 for emergency needs related to COVID for undocumented community members. Our Task Force responds to referrals from the WAISN hotline for folks in Skagit. Task Force members have responded to more than a dozen people in need of court accompaniment, food, connection to resources, transportation, and other needs. Several Task Force members have compiled a growing list of help available in Skagit.
Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth Is
Though Americans are generally squeamish about fund raising, Task Force members have contributed money for basic needs, bail, driver’s education, legal help, medical debt for a young undocumented mom, a motel room for a family that became homeless because of COVID, and many other needs. People give what they can if they can, and amazingly it is enough to make a big difference for a vulnerable family in Skagit.
Support for Young Men Seeking Asylum
Several Task Force members volunteered with non-profit organizations at the US southern border. They met 9 young men from Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Ghana who had fled for their lives from their home countries and reached the US via Ecuador and endless, hazardous miles walking north with other refugees from Central America. We’ve learned much more about the currently abusive asylum system as women from the Task Force and allies have supported these young men in the petition process: securing their release from detention, finding sponsors and housing, connecting them with lawyers, pressuring the system and even members of Congress on their behalf. And shedding tears when “Credible Fear” hearings have gone badly under the Trump administration changes to the rules. Task Force members have written letters and raised funds to support these young men.
The Indivisible Skagit Immigrant Support Task Force collaborates and coordinates with Skagit Immigrant Rights Council, Community to Community Development, Goodwill, Tri-Parish Food Bank, Helping Hands Food Bank, CCS Farmworker Center, WAISN, and other community-based immigrant advocacy groups.
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