ABOUT US

Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest (AIDNW) was officially formed in 2009, arising out of NW Detention Center roundtable bimonthly community meetings, where concerned community members, representatives of advocacy groups, social service agencies, faith-based organizations, Congressional liaisons, and immigration officials had been meeting since 2005 on immigration and immigration detention issues. Participants shared their knowledge and experience, and worked to provide practical assistance to detained immigrants and to increase awareness of the Detention Center now called the Northwest ICE Processing Center.

Our Vision

A welcoming community that affirms the dignity of all immigrants

Our Mission

AIDNW supports immigrants in detention and welcomes them on their release

Our History

Volunteers for AIDNW increased services in 2014 to offer almost daily support for immigrants. They worked out of their cars, offering backpacks, clothing, snacks, telephone connection and transportation to released immigrants. Later that year, an old RV became the first AIDNW Welcome Center.

In 2017, a part-time Volunteer Coordinator was hired, and services expanded and improved. An updated Hospitality House provided rooms for an office and short-term accommodation for immigrants. The Visitation Program gained a coordinator, and a new, larger RV became the AIDNW Welcome Center. By October 2022, AIDNW had its first full-time Executive Director and over 200 volunteers.

MEET OUR STAFF

Aidan Perkinson

Aidan Perkinson

Operations Manager

Aidan Perkinson grew up in the coastal town of Brunswick, Maine and recently graduated from the University of Puget Sound with an undergraduate degree in sociology-anthropology. He has always been passionate about social justice issues, which is what initially drew him to AIDNW. Since he was first involved as a volunteer, his passion for the work AIDNW does has only grown. In his free time, he enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, sailing, kayaking, and doing other outdoor activities! He also loves all animals, most especially dogs.

OUR DEDICATED VOLUNTEER BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. Caitlin Boline

Dr. Caitlin Boline

Board Chair

Caitlin Boline, Ed.D. is proud to serve the community of AIDNW. As a previous teacher, principal, and district ESL administrator, her work with immigrant and diverse populations inspires her to lean deeper into this work within her community. She is proud to serve alongside such a focused, caring board and highly appreciates our most valuable asset: our incredible staff and volunteers.

Caitlin holds a doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California where she also teaches classes that support the education of diverse students. She currently works for LEGO Education where she supports school district leaders to offer accessible and hands-on learning for ALL students. In her free time, she loves exploring Tacoma with her husband and daughter.

Mary Clare Benson

Mary Clare Benson

Board Secretary

Mary Clare Benson joined the AIDNW Board after serving several years on the Finance Committee, and she continue to do volunteer work for AIDNW delivering crafts and deportation bags to the Detention Center. Mary Clare was born in Seattle and spent her school-age years in Tumwater. She graduated from Seattle University with a degree in Business Administration and passed the CPA exam two years later, working in accounting and finance roles for 35 years before retiring.

Mary Clare lived in Seattle throughout her career until she moved to Tacoma a decade ago to be closer to her son and his growing family. She had been following news about the Detention Center and the mission of AIDNW before moving to Tacoma, and is now glad to find herself able to volunteer and contribute to this necessary work we do together in the community.

Mary Carstensen

Mary Carstensen

Board Treasurer

Mary’s background includes 27 years in the U.S. Army, leading military healthcare professionals and institutions, including the building of a system to support the most severely injured and wounded in recent wars through the many transitions they and their caregivers face. Mary has helped build up several nonprofits and businesses, including the Bob Woodruff Foundation and and intermediaries in support of over 130 communities across the country serving military veterans and their families.

We are thrilled that Mary joined the board of directors for Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest (AIDNW) in November 2023, and that she also continues to volunteer with several other nonprofits in the Pacific Northwest as well as on the East Coast.

Dr. Louisa Beal

Dr. Louisa Beal

Board Communications Committee Chair

Louisa Beal, DVM received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Washington State University in 1984. Dr. Beal practiced general medicine and behavior as owner of Brown’s Point Veterinary Clinic for ten years before selling the practice to found Veterinary Behavior Consultations in 1996. She was an instructor in the Veterinary Assistant Program at Renton Technical College for more than ten years. Retired from seeing clients, Louisa continues to provide behavior and behavioral medicine support to veterinarians throughout the region. She currently serves on the board of NOAH’s Pet Project which offers free vaccines and health care for those who cannot afford these services. Louisa is also Executive Director of Radio Tacoma which airs on KTAH-LP 101.9 FM. Recordings from the radio shows she produces, including a monthly report on AIDNW activities with interviews from volunteers and staff, can be found at radiotacoma.org/archive-of-local-programs-a-through-m/.

Ben Jones

Ben Jones

Board Fundraising Committee Chair

Ben Jones joined the AIDNW Board of Directors in October 2023, and serves as Fundraising Committee lead. In his professional life, Ben is a District Manager for Starbucks, supporting twelve stores across Pierce and Thurston counties. He serves as co-chair of Starbucks’ Refugee & Immigrant Alliance, an employee affinity group supporting refugee and immigrant employees and communities. He is also passionate about affordable housing and the unhoused, volunteering with Homes First and serving on the advisory boards of several South Sound enhanced shelters.

Special thanks go to past Board Chairs for their dedication, vision, and guidance:

 • Len Johnson • Tim Chen • Bill Tudor • Vanessa de Veritch Woodside • Peggy Herman

Applications now being accepted for additional 2025 board positions!

Email: info@aidnw.org for information. Thanks!

PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

IMMIGRATION & RESETTLEMENT SERVICES

World Relief
Tacoma Refugee Choir
Colectiva Legal de Pueblo
Tacoma Community House
Northwest Immigrants Rights Project
St. Leo’s Catholic Church
Peace Lutheran Church
Bookmongers

GRANTING ORGANIZATIONS

GRANTORS

BECU
Cheney Foundation
Norcliffe Foundation
Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation
Gary E. Milgard Foundation
Greater Tacoma Community Foundation
Pierce County Connected Fund
Peg & Rick Young Foundation
City of Tacoma – Phone Funds
Puyallup Tribe of Indians

Partnering with community organizations is a fundamental aspect of AIDNW’s work. While we focus on 1) visiting and getting supplies to immigrants currently in detention, 2) facilitating immediate travel plans for immigrants released from detention, and 3) short-term housing for immigrants who can’t get to family for a few days, there are dozens of organizations in our region who focus on myriad other aspects of support. We depend every week on World Relief to provide host homes, and to help immigrants without prior connections resettle in the area. We depend on Tacoma Community House to help immigrants in our Hospitality House and host homes navigate the acquisition of things like driver’s licenses, public transportation, language services and more. We also know how many immigrants are supported in legal cases by the Northwest Immigrants Right Project (NWIRP) and how many bonds are paid by the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN), among their far-ranging work. We also know that immigrants need community connections like what’s provided by the Tacoma Refugee Choir, and the list goes on.

Grants, on another note, are a pillar of AIDNW’s funding, greatly helping us to achieve remarkable outcomes and serve immigrants in detention and upon their release. With deep gratitude for the support we’ve received, we recognize that each grant represents not just funding, but a vote of confidence in our mission. At AIDNW, we honor the impact of past grants by continuing to innovate, advocate, and effect positive change. Together, with the generosity of Grantmakers, we forge a brighter future for our communities and beyond. We are proud to share the grants AIDNW has been awarded in 2023 and 2024.

NEW 2023 GRANTS

  • 2023: BECU Collaboration Grant

     $7,500

  • 2023: Greater Tacoma Community Foundation Grant

     $5,000

  • 2023: Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation Grant

    $4,150

  • 2023: The Peg & Rick Young Foundation Grant

    $5,000

  • Starbucks Foundation Neighborhood Grants Program

    $1,000

NEW 2024 GRANTS

  • 2024: Kaplan Fund Grant

    $1,000

  • 2024: Bamford Foundation Grant

    $4,000

  • 2024: City of Tacoma

    Contingency Grant $10,000; Special Events Grant $1,000

  • 2024: Norcliff Foundation Grant

    $10,000

  • Puyallup Tribe of Indians - Charity Trust Board

    $3,000

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.

More than 200 community members give their time, talent, and treasure to AIDNW every month. We couldn’t do what we do without you – we are a volunteer-lead organization!

LEARN MORE ABOUT VOLUNTEERING
OR DONATE

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

AIDNW trained volunteers greet released immigrants at the Welcome Center RV just outside the NWIPC release gate. Volunteers provide snacks, beverages, backpacks, and clothing as needed; they charge releasee’s phones to connect with their family or sponsors; then volunteers help arrange their travel by air or land, transporting them to the airport, bus or train stations. Nearby relatives can also arrive to pick them up.

Phones are available inside the NWIPC, but it costs money to make a call. Detained immigrants can call the AIDNW Hotline to request phone funds to contact family, friends, or legal help. AIDNW can provide phone cards in $20 denominations for up to one hundred detainees each month.

Yes, your donation to AIDNW is tax deductible as allowed by law. 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.

Yes, you can donate specific items of clothing, backpacks, shoes, and arts and crafts supplies via AIDNW’s Amazon Wish List. 

AIDNW serves people detained in the NW ICE Processing Center, and those who are newly released. AIDNW also provides temporary housing to immigrants without a sponsor or family in the area and connects them with other organizations for legal and resettlement services.

Yes, all AIDNW services are provided free of charge to people detained in and newly released from the NWIPC in Tacoma, WA.

AIDNW offers onsite training for new volunteers at the Welcome Center. We explain everything from set up to take down and various situations that occur in between. Volunteers receive informational materials and learn procedures. For volunteers visiting detained immigrants inside the NWIPC, we provide protocols for visiting immigrants, tips on conversations, and meet the new volunteer at the detention center for their first visit.

We offer flexible options to accommodate our volunteers. Some volunteers complete one shift per month at the Welcome Center while others choose to volunteer daily or every week. Shifts are from 2-6 p.m. or 3 p.m. to close at 7 p.m. Visitations inside the NWIPC are limited to one hour by ICE and we suggest a minimum of one visit or more every two weeks. Other volunteer hours, such as in the office or on a committee, will vary depending on the tasks offered by the volunteer.

An interest in helping immigrants new to our country will align with our mission. Fluency in a foreign language is often useful, but not necessary, since AIDNW has volunteer interpreters on call when required.

No, minors are not detained at the NWIPC.

Please submit a new question. We look forward to connecting with you!