Hundreds of thousands of immigrants move through the federal detention system each year. The larger detention centers, such as the one in Tacoma, have their own courts. But little is known about what happens behind closed doors where cameras are not allowed. Seattle playwright Margaret O’Donnell believed a play was the only way to share what those inside—from the detainees to the guards—experience every day. So, she wrote a play!

“The Detention Lottery is about what happens right here in Tacoma, Washington,” says Ms. O’Donnell, a retired immigration attorney.

The performers are also local. Attorneys from the area volunteer their time to play the different roles, which include a judge, defense attorney, prosecutor, and ICE officials. As for the detainees? They are played by members of the audience, who are “detained” (assigned their roles and handed their scripts) after they’ve taken their seats. As in real life, they don’t have much time to prepare, and they have little understanding of the legal proceedings that will decide their fate.

O’Donnell notes that, because the state of immigration has changed since “The Detention Lottery” play first debuted in 2018, so too has her play. She has rewritten it to reflect the court’s current interpretation of jurisdiction. As a result, she says, “judges have less discretion today, not more. At the Tacoma facility, ICE officials, not judges, decide who gets bond.”

The performance of “Detention Lottery” is Saturday, September 30, at 7pm at the First Christian Church of Tacoma located at 602 North Orchard Street. Tickets will be on sale for $20 at the door and will benefit AIDNW’s services to detained immigrants.

RSVP here: https://forms.gle/h7d2YB6cEpEqPMQq9 or by email to officeassistant@aidnw.org