ICE ramps up kidnappings in Puget Sound region

According to the New York Times, the White House has directed ICE to meet a daily national quota of 2,000 arrests, and the Puget Sound region is seeing a surge in kidnappings of immigrants in the past week. KING-5 reports that rapid responders blew whistles at the scene of an abduction in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of north Seattle. Seizures of immigrants have surged locally in the past week, according to the website iceout.org

This comes as ICE goons shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican construction worker and father of three who had lived in the US for more that thirty years and had no criminal record. ICE lied as usual after the shooting in Houston, claiming Araujo tried to "weaponize his vehicle," but three men who witnessed the shooting disputed ICE's claim.

Meanwhile KUOW reported that in Seattle, immigration authorities are ramping up deportation proceedings for undocumented children. Children!

ICE is desperate to push forward its deportation effort and please their fascist little president. Unlike previous, more visible surges in Portland, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis, the Dept of Homeland Security has changed its tactics, focusing on rapid, dispersed seizures, often on major roads and highways. ICE hopes it can fly under the radar of observers and activists working to alert our neighbors. We'll need your help to prevent their stealth campaign.

This was never a campaign about deporting violent criminals – this is a cruel, calculated, racist campaign to remove brown-skinned immigrants from the US.

I've recently started volunteering again with observer and rapid response groups. It feels good, though much more work needs to happen if Cascadia is going to adapt to ICE's new blitzkrieg strategy.

Here are a few ways you can help defend our communities from ICE:

Washington Whistles organizes frequent whistle-kit making parties – join one!

Seattle Indivisible offers an online constitutional observer training course every Tuesday from 7 to 8:30 pm.

Protest ICE in the Seattle area: Southend Indivisible organizes weekly protests at the DHS/ICE facility in Tukwila, 12500 Tukwila International Blvd, every Friday 9 - 10:30 am.

Find other protests in the greater Seattle area at the Seattle Protest List.

In Tacoma, join La Resistencia in a solidarity protest for immigrants held at the Northwest Detention Center, 1 - 3 pm Saturday July 25.

In Portland, visit Oregon Indivisible for the latest events and actions.

Thanks for reading, and as always, keep loving and keep fighting! --Andy