November Newsletter Highlights with Community Meeting Announcement, Volunteer Reports & Chair Update

October Volunteer Report Summaries from the Welcome Center, Visitation & Pen-Pal Programs

From the Welcome Center:

• A cool and, thankfully, dry day at the Welcome Center with 5 volunteers from University Place Presbyterian Church. When we arrived there was a family from Yakima waiting for their father/grandfather to be released.  They expressed gratitude for all the WC was doing.  We offered stickers and hot chocolate to the little girls, snacks, and use of the Portapotty. Later, two family members contributed a total of $60.

Just before 5:00, three men were released. The Mexican gentleman from Yakima was happily greeted by his family and left directly to return across the Cascades to Yakima. The second man was also met at the gate by friends/family.

A third young man, from Honduras, was released with an airline ticket to San Francisco already purchased for a 7:50 pm flight.  After speaking with his attorney and loading his gear into a backpack, he quickly departed for the airport with Liz and Ron, charging his phone in their car on the way. Since the young man had only flown once—in an ICE aircraft coming up from Oakland CA–they went with him through security and to the gate.  He had an ankle monitor still in place.  There were no issues getting through security.

• We had three releases today. Friends or family met our first release, and they quickly departed for Portland, Oregon.

Our second release was a young Kurdish man who had been in detention for three months. He had been studying in Bellevue on a student visa but had become ill. It’s unclear whether his visa was still valid when he was detained by ICE. He was in touch with a friend in Portland who said he would drive up to pick him up. We showed him a train leaving at 6 pm costing $22, but he was confident his friend would come. We drove him to the La Quinta to wait for his ride.

Our third release was at 5:15 p.m.—a young man originally from Guatemala who has been living in California. He was developmentally challenged, and a couple who had learned about his situation arranged to pick him up and provide housing for the night. A family member is coming to collect him and fly home with him tomorrow. We provided him with a duffel bag, sweatshirt, socks, and sneakers. The poor guy was shivering as the temperature dropped. He was picked up at 6:10, and Mary Ann and I left soon after.

• We had two releases, both at 5:50 p.m.  One was picked up by his family, and they swiftly made their way home to Seattle.  Our other release was a man originally from Russia who lives in Sacramento.  He impressed me with his newfound English, which he learned in the three months while in detention.  Perry left for the airport with him at 6:20 p.m., and we closed up.

• Bill, Steven, and Mary Ann were on site. There were two releases very early in the shift. One man from Iran had been detained for over 100 days. We gave him a backpack and charged his phone. He was picked up by his wife.  The other gentleman was from Bolivia. He needed a flight booked to LA and his phone charged. Both spoke flawless English so no translating was needed. Both were very appreciative of AIDNW’s work.

• We had 2 releases today.  When we arrived, a young man and woman were there waiting for their mother, who was out on bond after filing Habeas Corpus.  They had flown up from California to meet her.  She was very grateful to receive a warm coat.An Uzbek man came out at 4:30 and was greeted by someone from another volunteer group who was there to pick him up.  They had told us to expect him.

• The first release was a young woman who was met by a volunteer from La Resistencia who took her to meet her family from Portland. Kristine gave her a coat and a backpack for her belongings. Shortly after they left a woman stopped by to ask about her. The woman, Holly, is a midwife and was happy to hear that the young woman, who is pregnant, had been released. She told us there are still two pregnant women in detention.

• A delightful woman stopped by with supplies she had purchased for a woman in detention that she had befriended. We provided a backpack as well as a few additional items of clothing. She was going to deliver it to the woman who had decided to self-deport as soon as a flight was available. This woman was part of a local book group who had been doing visitations in the detention center.
At 4;30 pm we were informed that there would be several releases. Soon after, three people came our way. One was immediately picked up by a family/friend and did not need any assistance. A young man from Mexico was headed back to Yakima. Mary was able to translate and we learned that family was on their way from Yakima to pick him up. Bob and Mary delivered him to the La Quinta hotel nearby to await their arrival in a few hours. One of the staff members there spoke Spanish and agreed to help him in any way as he waited.
Our third guest was a young woman who was headed to Dallas to rejoin her husband and young child after 5 months away from them. She was able to charge her phone, receive a backpack for her belongings and get a snack while awaiting help from family to purchase a ticket home. Judy helped her book a ticket for a late night flight and rode with Bob to take her to the airport.

• Today’s volunteers were Audrey, Melanie F., and PDAN Jerry. When we arrived, there was a released man waiting at the tent. He was Vietnamese and had a valid green card.  He had been picked up at SEATAC after returning from a trip to Vietnam.  His significant other arrived soon after to take him back home. At around 3:45 p.m. there was another local release, met by his wife and friend.  They also left quickly to resume their lives.

• It was a good day at the RV today. We witnessed 3 releases in total and ended up helping one. A Russian gentleman didn’t want help with a ticket, a backpack, or clothes. He just wanted to get back to Alaska and was confident that he could make his own travel arrangements at the airport.  Unfortunately, he was released without his identification, so we had to work on that. With his blue card safely in hand, our Russian guest hopped in Donna’s car, and she drove him to the airport.We learned that he had won asylum, but was released without his Alaskan identification. Donna learned that he was originally from a part of Russia that was right on the Arctic Circle and that Alaska felt like home to him. He had also established a successful business in Alaska, building and installing saunas. He was able to purchase a ticket on the way to the airport.

• While we only had one release, the day was not uneventful. We had 2 visitors, 1 from the Side Piece Kitchen in Tacoma, who brought a check from a recent fundraiser, and the other, Gloria Molina, who came down from Seattle at the behest of Rep. Adam Smith of the 9th district. Aidan gave her a tour of our setup and explained our services and then she asked us volunteers about how and why we serve.
As we were chatting, our only guest (from India) came out, needing backpack and shoelaces and a phone to call his brother in LA.  After a few calls back and forth it was decided to get an early morning flight and he would sleep in the airport.
Our noble PDAN driver, Kim, took him to buy a sim card and then to the airport.

• A Vietnamese-speaking man was heading to Michigan. We charged up his phone and gave him a backpack and a jacket. We were in touch with his family member in Michigan who purchased a flight. We also gave him a $25 Visa gift card to buy food, as he had no money and his flight had a small layover. This guest had been in the detention center for eight months.

• The Armenian gentleman who was released yesterday wanted us to have a cross that he kept with him while he was in detention.  Eileen and I placed it on the dashboard of the RV,

• Happy to say that we had 5 releases, all between 4:15 and 5:00. Two young women, one from Ecuador and one from Fiji, had become friendly while in the detention center.  Friends of the woman from Fiji brought them both home and will help the woman from Ecuador get to the airport for an early morning flight.
Perry dropped a young man from Mexico at La Quinta for the night while he awaits the arrival of family from Alaska. Perry then continued on to the airport to drop off another man, also from Mexico.
Our final release had many family members waiting for him, including his children.  He had been picked up as he was dropping his kids off at elementary school about 4-5 months ago.

• At 2:45 a Venezuelan gentleman was released after 7 months.  He had family in Bellingham but they did not have advance notice of his release. They left to pick him up as soon as he called, but he had a long wait. He took a little food, a drink, a jacket and a bag for his papers.
He mentioned that it was tough to sleep as the lights are left on until 3 am and back on at 5 am. He said there were 80 people in his quadrant.  He had contracted an infection inside but had pills that were given to him. He was very happy when his family arrived about 7:15pm and they were on their way back to Bellingham.
The last release was an Hispanic male whose wife and two children were waiting with open arms and big smiles.

• It was a bright, cold Autumn day at the Welcome Center. Kirk and I manned the tents and Terry was the PDAN [volunteer driver].  A gentleman stopped by asking for advice about a friend who had been in detention for a few days. The friend’s work visa had expired and he was looking for work at a Home Depot. When he left, his car was surrounded by six ICE cars and he was taken into custody. The man had been in the US for 26 years and had no convictions. His kids were born here. His wife and children are distraught and afraid to leave their home.