OUR IMPACT – Over 15 Years

Supporting Immigrants Seeking a Better Life

The Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC) is a federal ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, operated by the privately owned GEO Group. As the fourth largest immigration detention center in the United States, its capacity is 1,575 detained immigrants.

Immigrants, mostly asylum seekers, arrive at the Tacoma detention center from all over the world. Upon arrival, their personal belongings are removed, and they must wear a uniform. Detained immigrants pay for phone use to contact family or legal help for their asylum cases. They must purchase personal items at the commissary. Most have not experienced detention, thus feel vulnerable and isolated. Detained persons often wait weeks, months, or even years for release, either on asylum or to await their case processing with family or sponsors.

AIDNW’s immigrant assistance programs have immediate positive impact for immigrants detained in and released from the NWIPC, by connecting them to family, resources, and to our community.

HOW HAVE WE BEEN DOING?

Founders of AIDNW started meeting with one another in 2005 as part of community immigration roundtables, and in 2009, we incorporated as a Washington State non-profit organization. In 2014, volunteering increased to the point that we could offer daily services to immigrants in detention and those turned out onto the street upon release. Between 2019-2023, thanks to our generous donors, dedicated staff, visionary volunteer board members, and over 200 enthusiastic volunteers giving 46,921 hours, AIDNW statistics show provided 20,327 services to detained and released immigrants from over 110 countries worldwide.

Top regions by percentage of total immigrants since 2019:

Latin America & Caribbean 62%

Asia & Pacific Islands 26%

Africa 8%

Eastern Europe 1.3%

Middle East 1.3%

Europe, Canada, Unknown 1.4%

Newly released immigrants, happy to leave the ICE detention center, call family enabled by volunteers at the AIDNW Welcome Center.

6,021

Immigrants Welcomed

5,205

Immigrants Transported

4,371

Immigrants Visited or Received Letters

4,048

Immigrants Received Phone Funds

625

Immigrants Provided Temporary Housing

Countries of Origin since 2019 – Immigrants Served in Tacoma:

IMMIGRANT STORIES

Hanan’s Success Story – Why Giving Tuesday Is Critical

December 3, 2024

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Giving Tuesday Featured Story - Stand with AIDNW as we provide vital services to immigrants like Hanan who escaped an abusive situation in her home country.

Elmer from Cuba

October 13, 2023

I was born in a small town in Cuba and owned two small businesses. Due to threats of prison and extreme political oppression, my wife and I decided I should try to immigrate to the U.S. to find a more secure life for our family.

Joyce from Kenya

September 1, 2023

“I left Kenya because I was involved in the August 2022 presidential election; the political party I supported didn’t win. Some people from the party that won made threats against people in my political party. I did not feel safe.”

Pedro from Venezuela

August 2, 2023

I left my home in Venezuela on the 21st of December of 2021 and I entered the United States on December 25th where I endured a difficult and complicated process of detention.

Rama from Nepal

July 1, 2023

On a cold and windy November day, as the light was fading, Rama, an eighteen-year-old man from Nepal, walked out of the Northwest Ice Processing Center in Tacoma, WA, with no jacket on, wearing only a T-shirt.

Dmitry & Family from Ukraine

June 1, 2023

In 2018 , Dmitry and his wife traveled from Ukraine and crossed the US southern border together where they requested asylum. Dmitry was then sent to the Northwest ICE detention center in Tacoma, but his wife, who was pregnant, was sent to an ICE facility in Texas, then released. Dimitry did not know where she was -- ICE would not tell him.

SHARE YOUR TIME OR SKILLS – Volunteer Options Include:

Volunteer for a few hours a month and meet immigrants from around the globe! Our volunteer community is a diverse group of service-minded people from Seattle to Olympia, Gig Harbor to Enumclaw.

AIDNW volunteers gather to help asylum seekers released from detention on a chilly Pacific Northwest fall afternoon.

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