On Sunday, Trump will direct Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to round up and deport 2,000 immigrants who allegedly missed their day in court or who were ordered deported. They will also detain any other undocumented immigrants hanging around targeted immigrants at the time of the raid. According to CNN, ICE plans to carry out the mass arrests in 10 cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco. The raids were originally scheduled for late June, but Trump delayed them for two weeks for reasons that remain unclear. Seattle isn't on the list reported by CNN, but Monserrat Padilla, a coordinator with Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN), says the organization is "very seriously concerned" that Seattle and other cities in Washington will be included in this weekend's raid. Padilla cites "huge red flags" WAISN members have heard on their hotline, and they're wary of funding allocated to ICE operations in the $4.59 billion spending bill Trump signed last week. So, if you're an immigrant who might be targeted by ICE, or if you want to stand in solidarity with those immigrants, here's what you need to do to prepare. Be Aware of ICE's Hot Spots • Work places: WAISN expects ICE to target restaurants, construction sites, and other areas where hands-on labor occurs. "Our risk analysis shows that places of work are on the top priority for raids," Padilla said. • Courthouses: ICE has been arresting undocumented immigrants who show up for their court dates, as Crosscut reported back in April. • Large apartment complexes where people with prior deportation orders live: "They come in searching for one person and end up taking the whole neighborhood," Padilla said. Call the Hotline If You See Something If you see any ICE activity, call WAISN’s hotline: 1-844-724-3737. If you want to receive alerts about ICE raids in your area, text JOIN to 844-724-3737. WAISN coordinates 25 rapid response teams in 32 counties across the state, and they've recently bulked up the defense tools available on the hotline. If ICE is at your door, WAISN will dispatch a team trained to document deportation activity. In the meantime, Padilla says keep the door closed, remain silent, and don't sign any papers (which can be expedited removal papers). ICE officers sometimes use "administrative warrants" or "ICE warrants" in an attempt to enter private residences, but those warrants don't give them that authority. ICE can only enter if they have a "judicial warrant," which is a warrant signed by a judge. If they don't have that, then they can't enter without consent. That said, Padilla also says not to resist arrest, but rather to vocally state your rights and record the encounter. Also note that under federal law, ICE agents may arrest someone with an administrative warrant, but cannot use it to conduct searches and seizures that require them to enter a home or vehicle. Below is an example of an "administrative warrants" vs a "Judicial Warrant". Using the hotline, people can also request accompaniment to court hearings and bond hearings, access WAISN's bond fund application (which will pay off bonds), and hook up with public defenders who are aware of the new laws that prohibit collusion between local law enforcement and ICE. "We can't guarantee stopping deportation, but our vision is that no one has to walk through this traumatic and painful journey alone," Padilla said. Don't Spread Rumors on Social Media
Unsubstantiated rumors of ICE activity cause undue stress and harm to immigrants. Padilla says people will see an ICE truck rolling down the road, snap a photo, and then immediately write up an alarmist post on Facebook. Don't do that. If you see ICE in the world at all, call the hotline and allow WAISN to verify the activity and then inform the community through their networks. Once confirmed, WAISN will hit you back and tell you to share the info with your networks if warranted. Join A Rapid Response Team Sign up for online training and learn how to respond to ICE activity in your neighborhoods. "We need bodies literally building defense lines," Padilla says. She wants all neighborhoods to have robust response teams, including places where people think they're not at risk, such as Upper Queen Anne. "In Columbia City people assumed there wasn't a whole bunch of need there, but someone was taken on their lunch break," Padilla said. "It's important for everyone in this moment, regardless." Donate to the Fair Fight Bond Fund The Fair Fight Bond Fund just pays bonds for immigrants ICE detains. Padilla says all donations go to paying off bonds (and none to the organization's administrative costs), and that all bond money from terminated cases goes back into the fund. Padilla estimates that 250 of the approximately 1,500 people locked up in the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma are eligible to be bonded out but can't pay.
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