AIDNW PROGRAMS
For Immigrants in Detention & Upon Release
VISITATION & PEN-PAL Programs Connecting Volunteers to Immigrants in Detention
Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest (AIDNW), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Tacoma, Washington, assists immigrants and asylum seekers detained in and released from the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. Through hands-on immigrant assistance programs, AIDNW’s small staff and over 200 volunteers address the needs of detained persons held inside the Northwest ICE Processing Center, and upon release. We also assist released asylum seekers who decide to stay in the Pacific Northwest.
One of our most important services is our visitation program, where volunteers receive training and support to visit immigrants waiting for court dates inside the detention center. Our other fundamental service to help immigrants inside the facility is our pen-pal program. Both services help keep immigrants from feelings of frustration and boredom as they wait anxious months before achieving freedom or experiencing deportation.
PHONE FUNDS, BOOKS, ARTS & CRAFTS for Detained Immigrants
Phone calls within the detention center are not free, making it difficult for immigrants to hear the voices of the outside world. Detained immigrants can call the AIDNW Hotline to request phone funds to contact family, friends, or legal help. This is nearly the largest monthly expense for AIDNW, and we often run out of funds before the end of each month. We encourage your donation to help us extend this service to every day of the year, and we thank funders including the City of Tacoma which provided $10,000 to our phone fund over the past year.
Books, Crafts & More! Detained persons must await the decision of an immigration judge while their case is pending and may not have friends or family near enough to visit regularly. AIDNW arranges volunteer visits and pen pals for community connections, while our staff works to get books and crafts into the detention center for an Art Supply Bank. AIDNW volunteers gather books in various languages, and arts and craft supplies like yarn, to relieve the boredom from months or years of confinement. Join our “tight-knit” group of volunteers who provide this important service!
WELCOME CENTER & PDAN Transportation Program for Immigrants Released from Detention
The AIDNW Welcome Center, located in an RV outside the release gate of the NW ICE Processing Center, is staffed by trained volunteers who warmly greet released immigrants and asylum seekers. Volunteers provide phone access, snacks and beverages, onward travel arrangements to family or sponsors, backpacks, new weather appropriate clothing, document bags, and safe temporary housing as needed.
Volunteer PDAN drivers serve a critical role by taking newly released immigrants from the Welcome Center to the airport, bus, or train station, or to AIDNW’s Tacoma Hospitality House. Volunteers accompany immigrants inside the transport facilities if they do not speak English or lack travel experience.
HOSPITALITY HOUSE & HOST HOMES for Temporary Transitional Housing
The AIDNW Hospitality House is temporarily closed as we search for a new location for immigrants who need overnight accommodation. However, our multi-year collaboration with the World Relief Host Home Program continues for immigrants released from detention. Stay periods vary depending on host. If you are interested in becoming a host home, contact World Relief and specify interest in hosting immigrants released into Tacoma from the Northwest ICE Processing Center.
When our Hospitality House program re-opens, immigrants will again be able to stay overnight, usually while waiting for transportation to their airport and final destination, or for up to three months for a limited number of immigrants who plan to remain in the area. Guests are matched with a volunteer buddy who meets with them on a weekly basis; takes them to their appointments, educational services, to buy groceries, and helps them to get to know the area.
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS to Partner Immigrant Assistance Services
Our communication with detention facility administrators, and with immigration support organizations in the area, allow us to respond quickly to the needs of new immigrants as procedures, government legal rulings, or other circumstances change.
Upon their release from immigration detention, AIDNW warmly welcomes immigrants to the Pacific Northwest, unites them with their U.S. families or sponsors, arranges temporary housing, and connects them to resettlement resources.
For released immigrants who receive asylum, or are awaiting asylum approval or work permits via their release on a humanitarian visa, AIDNW connects them with partner organizations for additional legal and other aid.
RELEASE FROM IMMIGRATION DETENTION IS THE FIRST STEP TO A NEW LIFE
Asylum seekers released from the Northwest ICE Processing Center enter another stage in their immigrant journey to the U.S. The asylum process is complex and can take months to a few years. While asylum applications are pending, some can take classes and apply for work permits — a period that often feels like “limbo”. The burden of proof is on the applicant to show they fall under one of the five protected grounds for asylum. Collecting proof documents from afar takes time.
For asylum seekers who remain in western Washington, AIDNW provides connections to area nonprofit organizations that help with legal immigration case representation. AIDNW can also provide temporary immigrant housing and meals at the Tacoma Hospitality House. Then AIDNW connects asylees to further assistance for resettlement including permanent housing, English classes, work permits and employment, medical insurance, and other needs.
SHARE YOUR TIME OR SKILLS – Volunteer Options Include:
- Greeting newly released immigrants at the AIDNW Welcome Center RV for 2-4 hours in the late afternoon, and helping them make travel arrangements. Foreign language skills helpful but not necessary.
- Driving and helping newly released immigrants go to the airport, train or bus station. 2-3 hours in the early evenings. Foreign language skills helpful but not necessary.
- Collecting warm clothing and backpacks for newly released immigrants, or bringing crafts and books to the detention center to alleviate boredom for detainees waiting months before court dates.
- Visiting or becoming a pen-pal with immigrants in detention. Foreign language skills helpful, or use Google Translate to help detainees communicate their stories.
- Helping with a committee such as communications (website, newsletter or social media posts) or use your business skills in the office (endless efficiencies, organizing gear, and answering phones – foreign language skills not necessary).
- Volunteer Application – sign up here
BETWEEN 2019-2023
IN NOVEMBER 2024
20,327
Number of immigrant services provided
6,021
Number of immigrants welcomed
291
Volunteer Hours
70
Migrants served through our Welcome Center
© Copyright 2025. All rights reserved. Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (EIN # 27-1031009) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are U.S. tax-deductible as allowed by law. Web Development by Unnaturally Geisha Studios, Inc. Photography by Uhler Photography.