“We need to put issues of light and darkness up alongside issues of nutrition and access to clean air and clean water,” said Lya Osborn, a Seattle-based lighting designer and founding member of the non-profit Light Justice.

Justice for Immigrants, Justice for All!

Our Solidarity Social at Icicle Ridge Winery is coming up next Wednesday, and we’d love for you to join us. ✨We hope you can gather with us as we reaffirm our joint commitment to equity and justice for all. The event is free, with a suggested donation of $75. RSVP here ➡ bit.ly/3HH5jn7

Please join us for a CLE July 31 at Seattle U to learn how private sector attorneys can help non-profits further civil rights for people in Washington state. The event is moderated by Justice Sal Mungia. www.mywsba.org/PersonifyEbusiness/Default.aspx?TabID=1356&productId=26577224

Matt Adams, legal director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, said the administration is “adopting a draconian interpretation of the statute” to jail people who may have lived in the U.S. for decades, have no criminal history and have U.S. citizen spouses, children and grandchildren.

Yesterday, we received a credible report that ICE enforcement officers would be present at the Seattle immigration court. Our team and volunteers quickly mobilized to support community members attending their court hearings. ICE enforcement officers were not present and there were no arrests made.

"Aaron Korthuis, an attorney at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, who is representing Juarez Zeferino in the class-action lawsuit, said he did not doubt the activist was a political target."

Last week, we stopped seeing ICE presence at the Seattle immigration court. Unfortunately, it seems that instead of getting the message that we don't want them in our community, they have simply adjusted their tactics.

In the midst of so much terrible news, we are proud that Washington State legislators have passed several new laws to protect immigrant and worker rights in our state. These laws provide more state oversight at the detention center in Tacoma, provide important protections for workers, and more.

Our response to a recent "oversight" letter NWIRP received today from the Committee on Homeland Security.

This morning, NWIRP staff members and volunteers who have been providing Know Your Rights materials and consultations to community members at the immigration court in Seattle were told they would be restricted from entering without an appointment. Attorneys with appointments were permitted to enter.

While ICE agents can note in their database if someone they’ve investigated turns out to be a citizen, they are not required to do so. As a result, records are often wrong and left uncorrected even after agents have been told of a mistake. (Published March 2025)

NWIRP Executive Director Malou Chávez spoke with @msnbc.com about the confusion and fear our communities are experiencing because of the Presidential Administration's many attacks on their due process rights. www.msnbc.com/chris-jansin...

We are heartbroken to see immigrant communities under attack, again. This new travel ban, despite exceptions, sends a clear message of exclusion, undermines family reunification, and endangers lives. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

These community members are in Djibouti only because DHS violated the terms of a federal district court order requiring DHS to provide them with due process before deporting them to a country that was not listed on their removal orders.

Our partners at @immcouncil.org have prepared an analysis of the latest travel ban.

Heartbreaking! Reporting suggests that the facility is currently operating nearly 300 PERCENT above capacity, with 1,700 people crammed into a facility with an official maximum capacity of 600. The conditions have devolved dramatically in the last few months, threatening health and safety.

Yesterday, the Ninth Circuit heard arguments from NWIRP and the State of Washington defending the district court’s finding that the Executive Order is a blatant violation of the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, guaranteeing U.S. citizenship to all who are born in the United States.

🚨🚨🚨 In the last two hours, the Trump admin: - Banned all immigrant visas from 19 countries, including Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela - Banned all student and researcher visas to Harvard - Colluded with Texas to kick 20,000 undocumented college students off of in-state tuition.

Our May Newsletter is now live! In this month's issue: > ICE presence in immigration courthouses > The latest on NWIRP's ongoing class action suits > Upcoming free immigration webinars > Resources for immigrants > How we stay determined in the face of injustice

We have seen an increase in the number of green-card holders being detained at ports of entry like Sea-Tac airport. This week, NWIRP Deputy Director Vanessa Gutierrez spoke about the issue with the South Seattle Emerald.

Supervising Attorney Henry Hwang spoke with @kuow.org's Soundside podcast about your rights if stopped by immigration officers like ICE. Check it out at the link below!

Immigrants deserve due process, which is why our staff has been present this week at the Seattle Immigration Court to warn and inform community members that ICE officers are trying to place people whose cases have been dismissed in expedited removal proceedings.

Yesterday's ICE raid in Kent also involved the IRS, and at least one person from the raid is now being held at the detention center in Tacoma. We are heartbroken for those who were impacted yesterday, as well as their families. www.spokesman.com/stories/2025...

Here's a picture that a @kuow.org photographer took in Seattle yesterday, showing the ICE officers masked up in the hallways as they waited to arrest people coming out of their hearings.

Three very talented artists recently created work for us inspired by the immigrant rights movement. We are so excited to share their beautiful pieces with you! Each artist is recognized in the alt text for their respective piece.

Know Your Rights in Immigration Court!

Breaking News: Judge Finds U.S. Government Unlawfully Deported Noncitizens on Flight to South Sudan in Violation of Court Order, Issues Remedial Relief

⚠️ ICE at Immigration Court Thread ⚠️ Recently arrived immigrants (who have been in the U.S. for less than 2 years), non-U.S. citizen immigrants with criminal history, and immigrants with final orders of removal are at greatest risk of being detained by ICE if their case has been completed.

NEW: Mahmoud Khalil's attorneys urgently ask Judge Farbiarz to order ICE to permit Khalil to hold his newborn son today "for the most elementary human reasons." ICE has so far denied the request, despite his wife and child having made the 1,500-mile trip. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

A federal judge has issued a strong judicial rebuke to the Presidential administration in a finding today after the the administration deported 8 immigrants to Djibouti without first giving them an opportunity to object to their removal, violating a court order. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/u...

Community members already in immigration court must have the opportunity to pursue their immigration cases before an immigration judge. Yesterday, we learned that case dismissals may lead to ICE detention for some community members. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

We're very excited to be part of Bluesky! Here's a short thread about who we are and what we do at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.