October Newsletter Highlights: Community Meetings & Volunteer Reports
Summer campaign a success!
Thank you to everyone who contributed during our Summer Fundraising Campaign. Thanks to you we surpassed our goal! Your support is truly making a difference in the lives of immigrants detained in and released from detention in Tacoma.
September Community Meeting on Trauma Informed Care
The September Community Meeting was a great success. UW Medicine Behavioral Health Specialists Ben Longstroth, Annie Wickland, and Caitlin Smith gave a helpful presentation on Trauma Informed Care. They offered a clear definition of what it is and how volunteers and community members can use this approach while keeping in mind the effects that trauma can have on immigrants, especially those who have been detained. She went into more depth on how trauma rewires the brain as a response to an external series or event. It stems from outward experiences rather than an internal cause or failure.
Next, Ben Longstroth spoke on the idea of a neurosequential network where trauma infects the brain’s neural structure. He connected this to the mind of an immigrant and how their experiences escaping dangerous situations have drastic impacts on how they operate in their daily lives.
Finally, Annie Wickland explained how the effects of trauma are widespread and that it is crucial to try and understand what a person is going through after the fact. Accommodating them through sensory support, communication, and becoming a safe presence are all ways to support a survivor in their time of need.
The meeting ended with a Q&A with the audience where the guests answered questions on the topics discussed. AIDNW appreciated their time and willingness to explain how traumatic events shape the immigrants AIDNW walks alongside.
Special thanks to Sofia Armestar for writing this summary for the newsletter! Do you have a suggestion or request for a future Community Meeting topic or speaker? We’d love to hear your ideas. Please email AIDNW Board member Tomas Ramos.
September Volunteer Report Summaries from the Welcome Center, Visitation & Pen-Pal Programs
From the Welcome Center:
• We had one guest released today at 3:00 PM, a man originally from Mexico who lives and works in Pierce County. He owns a home and is raising 3 children, one of whom is on the dean’s list and plans to be an aerospace engineer!
• Two men were released, both with roller bags and all of their ID. A Cuban man who has been in the US for 37 years had been detained for 4 months. His family had already bought him a plane ticket. A young man who’d gone home to Vietnam on vacation was picked up reentering the states. He’d been detained for 1 1/2 months. His wife bought him a ticket home to Oklahoma.
• A sunny day at the Welcome Center with only one release, a gentleman who was one of the 37 roofers arrested at the Mount Baker Roofing Company in Bellingham in April. He had been in detention for 5 months and is out pending further court proceedings. He is currently not allowed to work. He perked up when a friend from Bellingham arrived to retrieve him. He has 3 young children whom he has not seen for all this time. His attorney fees have cost him $11,000 so far.
• It was a good day at the Welcome Center, with three 3 releases. When we arrived there were a few people waiting for a friend’s release. We shared some beverages and snacks with them. He was soon released and they quickly left. The 2nd guest was a young man from Cameroon, who had arrived in the US 10 months ago and was immediately put in detention. He was granted asylum in August and finally released today. He called a friend who provided credit card info and we were able to purchase a plane ticket leaving this evening for Baltimore. He was very happy to get clean new clothes, shoes, duffle bag, small pack, toiletries, and lunch bag for the plane trip. He also was happy to be able to charge his phone. We contacted ICE around 4:45 and heard back at 5:15 that one more person was going to be released. Around 5:45 our third guest was released. He’s originally from Liberia. He was picked up at the airport on his way back from a trip and had been in detention for 5 months. He called his mother on our phone and we could hear her cries of joy. They shared a sweet reunion and extended prayer over the phone while he kneeled. With his mother’s credit card Kristine was able to get a flight leaving tonight for Boston.
• It was a hectic day at the RV despite only welcoming 2 releases. Our first release had dual citizenship and had been picked up by ICE coming back from Canada. He was released with his Washington ID and had no need for further court appearances, but his car was left in Blaine and he didn’t have a way to get there. Mark found him a ticket from SeaTac to Bellingham and drove him to the Amtrak station in Tukwila so he could make the 5:38 train to Bellingham. Around 4:00, a lawyer from NWIRP came by and told us that her client had just won her case and should be getting out today. There was also a woman calling from Florida about her brother who was going to get deported back to Argentina. She was trying to get a deportation bag ready for him. I made three trips to the GEO side and at least as many calls to deportation bag maven Mary-Clare because they weren’t going to take the bag. Thanks to the information provided by Mary-Clare and the sister in Florida, they finally took the bag. The final release came out at about 6:15 and Mark got back from taxi duty just in time to help with the closing procedures. The woman in Florida was hoping to learn if her brother would have any chance to notify his family in Argentina regarding his travel arrangements. He was a voluntary self-deporter, and was told that he’d be going to both Arizona and Louisiana on the way to Argentina.
• Around 3:00 a young Russian woman was released and met by her partner and friends. About an hour later the wife of an Iranian man and their attorney arrived, having won the case for the husband’s release. King 5 has been following their story and was there as well. This gentleman and his coworkers accidentally crossed over into Canada due to road closures and when trying to return to the U.S. he was detained for seven months, although he has a green card. His family has medical issues and has suffered emotionally. PDAN Jennifer drove the couple to their home, north of Seattle (6 pm in rush hour!).
• A man from Morocco was released at 3:00; We already had info about his relative who was going to buy his ticket. I sent the relative a great flight option, but he kept saying he couldn’t see a flight for the 18th. In Morocco time, it was just after midnight, thus the 19th. So he had to reset his computer to US time! With Aidan’s tenacity, the man’s 3rd credit card finally worked and about 5:45 Terry headed with him to the airport. It had been a long year of detention, and he was so grateful that we were there to help him. A student from Iran was also released. He was coming from Sea Tac airport with two suitcases, heading to the Peace Arch to meet family. The GPS misguided him and he ended up across the Canadian border and was detained. He didn’t want his ICE bracelet cut off–he said it was a souvenir.
• Wednesday was my first day at the Welcome Center. I was a little overwhelmed by the process for greeting individuals as they are released. I was in awe of the AIDNW team and the services they provide to individuals who have been impacted by this ordeal. Around 5pm we were notified that 2 people were about to be released. A mother and her daughter came out of the facility. The mother and daughter were from Washington and had been in the detention center for just over 2 weeks. Their son/brother is still being held in the facility and is anticipated to be released on Thursday. Both the son and daughter are college students.
• Seven releases today! Six came to the Welcome Center, one went straight to his family. First was a man from Mexico who was met by his lawyer from a legal non-profit. They left to meet his daughter and return to his home in eastern Washington. Then we had a Guatemalan gentlemen who went to a host home so he could fly out tomorrow. Another man from Mexico waited with us until his family came to pick him up. It was an emotional reunion with his young son clinging to him and several family members. A man from a European country was released after only two days. He was a here on a visa but was detained on suspicion of terrorist activity but they quickly realized he wasn’t involved. He was picked up by a friend. An Afghan man was elated to see Chris whom he knew from the Farsi Bible study group inside. He had won his asylum case. World Relief will try to follow up to help with resettlement support. Last, there was a late release at 6:45pm for a Mexican woman. We took her to the airport for a flight back to Texas. She couldn’t stop hugging and thanking us.
From the Visitation Program:
I visit a man who had spent many years in the state prison then many years in NWDC solitary confinement. He was a little behind with the way we consume entertainment now. He knew that there are streaming services such as Netflix or Disney+. Since he is able to watch cable TV at NWDC, he asked me what is the advantage of streaming service over cable. I told him that I could watch movies and TV shows on demand without any advertisements and he was amazed.
“Thank you for your visit, it made my day. The support means a lot to me since I have no one to help me like you do. Thank you so much hope you and your family are well and in good health. I will exercise some more. I have gained weight LOL. Much love and respect to you. All my blessings from me to you. Thank you for your support.”
From PenPal letters:
“I love your visits. It motivates me to keep on holding on because I know I have a strong case and I could win if I hang on.”
“Thank you for making me strong in every way . You are the best. Thank you. I love the book that you sent. I’m happy to hear that you are blessed by having grandchildren. It must be an awesome feeling for you.”
“Thank you again for your support. It is nice to have a friend like you in my life. I am blessed and I thank God for that. I really hope that tomorrow goes well and I get good news from the judge. If not my lawyer says she will appeal the decision. She keeps telling me we have a strong case. I will wait for your letter. Much love and respect.”
“Thank you for writing me and for the books. I get happy when I get mail from you. It keeps me happy keeps me in a good state of mind and I find peace. Thank you and God bless your whole family”
Foreign Language Books – A Lifeline In Detention
AIDNW donates hundreds of books in foreign languages every year. The greatest need is for books in Spanish but detainees come from many countries. So, volunteers hunt for books in languages such as Khmer, Tajik, Swahili and Hindi. They visit university language departments, reach out to cultural groups and even embassies. They can’t really know, though, whether the hard-to-find books are getting to the people who need them. Is all this effort making a difference?
This month, one of our book volunteers was making a delivery at the same time a young man from Vietnam was being helped at the Welcome Center. He’d been detained for eight months! He didn’t speak English, so in her rusty Vietnamese she asked if he had read any of the donated books in Tiếng Việt. He beamed, and answered enthusiastically, “yes, yes!” and shook her hand. Then she explained that she was delivering more books and pointed to the boxes. When he saw them, he hugged her. It would be impossible to say who was more overjoyed.
