ICYMI: UWCHR's Phil Neff joins the @rangemedia.co podcast to talk Flock—how Flock's automated license plate readers work, what they do, and the effects they’re having on the people in our communities. Listen here: rangemedia.co/pod-diving-b...

We're very excited to be supporting a new project at the Center for Human Rights, led by the Puyallup Tribal Historic Preservation Department, in partnership with UW faculty Dr. Rocha Beardall and a team of graduate and undergraduate researchers. Learn more: jsis.washington.edu/humanrights/...

ICYMI: DHS signs contract to purchase 6 planes for ICE Air fleet. "It's interesting how much of what we know about ICE Air, and deportation flights in general, comes from WA state." Hear @mckenziefunk.com share about how ICE Air works now, and what we might expect: www.kuow.org/stories/what...

In WA, Skamania County and the cities of Olympia, Redmond and Lynnwood recently turned off their cameras, at least temporarily. The changes came after @uwchr.bsky.social 's report exposing weaknesses in the security of Flock cameras and a county court ruled data collected by ALPRs is public record.

In a letter yesterday to ICE, congressional members demand answers for lack of access to medical care, inadequate provision of meals, and barriers to accessing legal counsel at the NW ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, WA. Read the full letter: www.murray.senate.gov/wp-content/u...

How do local, out-of-state, and federal agencies search Flock databases? The next installment in @rangemedia.co's series on Spokane County's use of Flock surveillance technology dives into that question, looking at immigration related searches.

After more than four decades, perpetrators of the 1981 El Mozote massacre in El Salvador may finally face justice. This week, a Salvadoran judge opened the door to a trial of the former Minister of Defense and 12 officers of the U.S.-trained battalion. More info from @cristosal.bsky.social below.

This Wednesday, celebrate #InternationalHumanRightsDay by joining us at UW Bothell for a showcase of student research from the Washington, D.C. Human Rights Seminar! Dec 10, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. North Creek Events Center, UW Bothell calendar.washington.edu/bot_campus/H...

What do we mean when we say ICE is accessing Flock data? Hear from UWCHR's Phil Neff on @opb.org discussing findings from our recent report, "Leaving the Door Wide Open: Flock Surveillance Systems Expose Washington Data to Immigration Enforcement." Listen here: www.opb.org/article/2025...

"'Had an abortion, search for female' is not a valid reason for a search under the [Spokane County Sheriff's Office] policy, Gregory said, because abortion is not a crime in Washington." Who is searching Spokane County's data from their 60+ Flock cameras, and why? rangemedia.co/flock-safety...

New report from @hrw.org and @cristosal.bsky.social covers experiences of Venezuelan nationals sent by the Trump administration to El Salvador's CECOT prison. "The prison director told us, 'You have arrived in hell.'"

"The real question is not just, 'Does this solve crime?' It’s, 'What kind of infrastructure are we building for the future, and who ultimately controls that data?' The long-term civil liberties risked are far greater than the advertised short-term benefits." www.heraldnet.com/opinion/edit...

"I have a detainee here who has been assaulted and would like to file a police report." "Do you want officers to respond to do the report?" "I just need a case number." What happens when someone tries to report an assault from inside the NWDC? jsis.washington.edu/humanrights/...

10 years ago we filed our first FOIA lawsuit, suing the CIA seeking release of docs related to El Salvador's 1981 Santa Cruz massacre. Today, we continue using public records laws to investigate local and int'l human rights issues, in partnership with those working for justice and accountability.

Similar to Washington state, Connecticut invests public retirement money into Signature Aviation, a fixed-based operator which services ICE Air, profiting from deportations. Local CT groups are asking the state to divest. www.wshu.org/connecticut-...

“We didn’t know” is not a sufficient explanation for WA law enforcement agencies allowing Border Patrol access to surveillance networks. What happens to Washington state data generated by Flock surveillance systems? Learn more in our latest report: www.tinyurl.com/WAflock

Washington state's use of technology should not be a threat to accessing essential health care, as Alizeh Bhojani of @legalvoice.org says. However, our latest report highlights the danger of WA's use of Flock surveillance systems. Learn more: jsis.washington.edu/humanrights/...

"Huge amounts of information about the movements of WA state residents that advocates fear could be used for civil immigration enforcement, for things like criminalization of access to reproductive healthcare or gender-affirming care in WA state." -Phil Neff, UWCHR komonews.com/news/local/v...

“[Flock] maps people’s movements, their behaviors. It creates real risk around overreach and misuse of the surveillance technology to target people. The report that came out today shows this has not been a hypothetical concern.” -Tee Sannon, @acluwa.bsky.social www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

New report! “Leaving the Door Wide Open" finds Flock Safety automated license plate reader technology threatens Washingtonians’ rights to privacy, protections for immigrants, and access to reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare. Read the report: www.tinyurl.com/WAflock

UWCHR analysis of Deportation Data Project datasets cited in yesterday's @opb.org coverage of Portland's ICE building. www.opb.org/article/2025...

UW students! Don't miss this opportunity to work with the great folks at the @uwbridgescenter.bsky.social

The current contract between ICE and GEO Group for the operation of the Northwest ICE Processing Center is set to end tomorrow, September 27th. But what's next is unknown. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Today's @nytimes.com article reports on the horrible conditions inside immigration detention centers that exacerbate mental health crises, citing UWCHR research. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/h...

NEW: The @uwchr.bsky.social found that ICE and CBP are disappearing Washington residents. What does this mean? Read online at Gossip Guy, or find it in print @realchangenews.bsky.social later this week: gossipguy.net/ice-and-cbp-...

“In WA, our most famous philanthropist grows his investments in part by supporting a company complicit in gross human rights abuses, potentially ascending to the level of crimes against humanity." @huffpost.com explores links between Bill Gates & mass deportation: www.huffpost.com/entry/bill-g...

Latest visual investigation by @financialtimes.com cites UWCHR analysis of ICE data sets obtained by the Deportation Data Project at the UC Berkeley School of Law.

New reporting exposes the latest collaboration between WA Dept. of Licensing and ICE—a collaboration that is prohibited by the Keep Washington Working Act. "Clearly relying on agencies to 'audit themselves' is not enough." - UWCHR Director Angelina Godoy www.king5.com/article/news...

Enforced disappearance and refoulement of Washingtonians is happening, right here, in our backyard, as @laresistencianw.bsky.social organizer Josefina Mora-Cheung says.

VIDEO: @uwchr.bsky.social and @laresistencianw.bsky.social on the 16 enforced disappearances by ICE & CBP in Washington State since Trump took office. These include deportations to CECOT in El Salvador, South Sudan, transfers to Guantánamo Bay and families being held for weeks without legal counsel.

📢NEW REPORT!📢 What are the connections between WA state and gross human rights violations against migrants by ICE and CBP? ➡️ tinyurl.com/WAdisappeara...

Today's @seattletimes.com article provides a snapshot of what immigration arrest trends are looking like in WA state, citing UWCHR analysis of national data. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

"These are the kinds of stories that should sound alarm bells in the heads of all people concerned about human rights in this state," said Angelina Godoy, director of the University of Washington's Center for Human Rights. www.king5.com/article/news...

ICYMI: This month, a court in El Salvador announced a monumental verdict on the 1982 deaths of four Dutch journalists. Drawing on 15 years of engagement w/ historical documents, UWCHR is proud to share excerpts from our testimony used as evidence. Read more: unfinishedsentences.org/reports/kill...

“Every one of these records relates to the life of a human being,” said Phil Neff, a researcher at the University of Washington’s Center for Human Rights. Last week's @kuow.org segment explores immigration arrest trends in WA state: www.kuow.org/stories/unde...

An excellent deep dive on immigration detention in this week's visual investigation from the @financialtimes.com ft. data from the Deportation Data Project, analyzed by UWCHR. ig.ft.com/us-immigrati...

“What’s the point of having a contract that includes language you don’t intend to uphold?" Today's Seattle Times article by @ayoonhendricks.bsky.social covers our newest report, "Compliance Theater: The NWDC's Unenforced Contract" www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

New report!! "Compliance Theater: The NWDC's Unenforced Contract" is the next installment in our series looking at conditions at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, WA. Read the full report here: www.tinyurl.com/NWDCcontract

Yesterday, @laresistencianw.bsky.social shared updates on their work monitoring deportation flights out of the King County Airport, citing trends in observations and flight patterns, airport transparency issues, and flight information obstruction. washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/07/15/d...

In 2022 we published findings that sports teams were using the same private charter air travel companies that ICE was using for deportation flights, often flying teams in the same planes only days apart from flying deportation flights. It still happens. www.columbiaspectator.com/sports/2025/...

ICE transfers of people from other states into Alaska's jail system leaves people far from family and legal representation. @adn.com reports on conditions at the Alaska facility, incl. the experiences of those transferred from WA's NWDC, citing UWCHR research. www.adn.com/alaska-news/...

The state of Washington has laws that are supposed to prevent local law enforcement from sharing data with ICE. HRDAG supported @uwchr.bsky.social in analyzing a massive ICE data trove to understand if Washington's law was working. hrdag.org/2021/08/15/u...

Great overview of GlobalX's business of doing both high-end sports travel, alongside ICE Air deportation flights. From today's @nytimes.com, citing UWCHR research: www.nytimes.com/athletic/641...

Hear updates from the Massage Parlor Outreach Project in yesterday's International Examiner article covering MPOP's newest project, Midnight Supper Club, including citing research done in collaboration with UWCHR. iexaminer.org/responding-t...

In incredible news, yesterday a judge in El Salvador rendered a historic ruling, convicting three high-ranking military officers of the 1982 murder of four Dutch journalists, and ordered President Bukele to publicly apologize to the Salvadoran victims’ movement for denying justice for 43 years.

Updates on conditions at the Northwest Detention Center from partner org @laresistencianw.bsky.social

Great article by @jwashing.bsky.social on links b/t US & El Salvador, offering historical context to current developments in immigration & incarceration. "By selling space in CECOT to the US, Bukele has in effect brought this long history of violence full circle." www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...

Since ICE owns no planes of their own, they must contract out for deportation flights—sometimes sharing planes with athletes, celebrities, and even politicians. UWCHR research cited in last week's @nytimes article. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/29/u...

“No tenían ninguna posibilidad de impugnar su detención”, dijo Godoy. “Simplemente los retuvieron, prácticamente los secuestraron, y el gobierno los liberó cuando ellos así lo decidieron”. laopinion.com/2025/05/29/f...

Human rights advocate Ruth López was arbitrarily detained in El Salvador on May 18, 2025. She remains in detention today. UWCHR denounces her ongoing detention and stands with our partner organization @cristosal.bsky.social calling for her immediate release.