Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
@nwirp.bsky.social
Defending and advancing immigrant rights since 1984. NWIRP is the largest immigration legal services organization providing free legal counsel to immigrants in the PNW.
“We need to put issues of light and darkness up alongside issues of nutrition and access to clean air and clean water,” said Lya Osborn, a Seattle-based lighting designer and founding member of the non-profit Light Justice.
Dim days, bright nights: a hidden cruelty of Ice detention
Tens of thousands of people held across the US amid Trump’s immigration crackdown could face an insidious hazard: broken internal clocks
www.theguardian.com
October 20, 2025 at 5:56 PM
“We need to put issues of light and darkness up alongside issues of nutrition and access to clean air and clean water,” said Lya Osborn, a Seattle-based lighting designer and founding member of the non-profit Light Justice.
Justice for Immigrants, Justice for All!
October 16, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Justice for Immigrants, Justice for All!
Our Solidarity Social at Icicle Ridge Winery is coming up next Wednesday, and we’d love for you to join us.
✨We hope you can gather with us as we reaffirm our joint commitment to equity and justice for all.
The event is free, with a suggested donation of $75.
RSVP here ➡ bit.ly/3HH5jn7
✨We hope you can gather with us as we reaffirm our joint commitment to equity and justice for all.
The event is free, with a suggested donation of $75.
RSVP here ➡ bit.ly/3HH5jn7
September 8, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Our Solidarity Social at Icicle Ridge Winery is coming up next Wednesday, and we’d love for you to join us.
✨We hope you can gather with us as we reaffirm our joint commitment to equity and justice for all.
The event is free, with a suggested donation of $75.
RSVP here ➡ bit.ly/3HH5jn7
✨We hope you can gather with us as we reaffirm our joint commitment to equity and justice for all.
The event is free, with a suggested donation of $75.
RSVP here ➡ bit.ly/3HH5jn7
Please join us for a CLE July 31 at Seattle U to learn how private sector attorneys can help non-profits further civil rights for people in Washington state. The event is moderated by Justice Sal Mungia.
www.mywsba.org/PersonifyEbusiness/Default.aspx?TabID=1356&productId=26577224
www.mywsba.org/PersonifyEbusiness/Default.aspx?TabID=1356&productId=26577224
July 17, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Please join us for a CLE July 31 at Seattle U to learn how private sector attorneys can help non-profits further civil rights for people in Washington state. The event is moderated by Justice Sal Mungia.
www.mywsba.org/PersonifyEbusiness/Default.aspx?TabID=1356&productId=26577224
www.mywsba.org/PersonifyEbusiness/Default.aspx?TabID=1356&productId=26577224
Matt Adams, legal director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, said the administration is “adopting a draconian interpretation of the statute” to jail people who may have lived in the U.S. for decades, have no criminal history and have U.S. citizen spouses, children and grandchildren.
Immigration agency flexes authority to sharply expand detention without bond hearing
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is moving to detain far more people than before, tapping a legal authority to jail anyone who entered the country illegally.
www.seattletimes.com
July 17, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Matt Adams, legal director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, said the administration is “adopting a draconian interpretation of the statute” to jail people who may have lived in the U.S. for decades, have no criminal history and have U.S. citizen spouses, children and grandchildren.
Yesterday, we received a credible report that ICE enforcement officers would be present at the Seattle immigration court. Our team and volunteers quickly mobilized to support community members attending their court hearings. ICE enforcement officers were not present and there were no arrests made.
July 10, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Yesterday, we received a credible report that ICE enforcement officers would be present at the Seattle immigration court. Our team and volunteers quickly mobilized to support community members attending their court hearings. ICE enforcement officers were not present and there were no arrests made.
"Aaron Korthuis, an attorney at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, who is representing Juarez Zeferino in the class-action lawsuit, said he did not doubt the activist was a political target."
Ice ‘politically targeted’ farm worker activist Juarez Zeferino, colleagues say
Detention comes amid Trump crackdown against perceived political enemies, including immigrants and labor organizers
www.theguardian.com
July 8, 2025 at 5:49 PM
"Aaron Korthuis, an attorney at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, who is representing Juarez Zeferino in the class-action lawsuit, said he did not doubt the activist was a political target."
Last week, we stopped seeing ICE presence at the Seattle immigration court. Unfortunately, it seems that instead of getting the message that we don't want them in our community, they have simply adjusted their tactics.
As pushback grows to WA immigration court arrests, ICE changes tactics
ICE spent weeks at immigration court. No longer, a sign of changing methods that are breaking norms, sowing confusion and sparking evolving pushback.
www.seattletimes.com
June 24, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Last week, we stopped seeing ICE presence at the Seattle immigration court. Unfortunately, it seems that instead of getting the message that we don't want them in our community, they have simply adjusted their tactics.
In the midst of so much terrible news, we are proud that Washington State legislators have passed several new laws to protect immigrant and worker rights in our state. These laws provide more state oversight at the detention center in Tacoma, provide important protections for workers, and more.
New Washington laws strengthen protections for immigrant communities amid federal attacks
The legislative session in Olympia this year was dominated by a focus on the biennial budget. But between discussions of funding cuts and new taxes,...
www.inlander.com
June 12, 2025 at 9:37 PM
In the midst of so much terrible news, we are proud that Washington State legislators have passed several new laws to protect immigrant and worker rights in our state. These laws provide more state oversight at the detention center in Tacoma, provide important protections for workers, and more.
Our response to a recent "oversight" letter NWIRP received today from the Committee on Homeland Security.
![It states that "the Committee is concerned that certain NGOs are now actively advising [undocumented noncitizens] on how to avoid and impede law enforcement officials, which can only be seen as an attempt to undermine the work [of the] federal government." This is overlaid over the second page of the letter we received from the Committee.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ien4rfrrqxxxdfhp6jiayco3/bafkreidcizonwopnswcp745z7estdiazltpscwejrz6upvkmo6bbei4wbq@jpeg)
June 11, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Our response to a recent "oversight" letter NWIRP received today from the Committee on Homeland Security.
This morning, NWIRP staff members and volunteers who have been providing Know Your Rights materials and consultations to community members at the immigration court in Seattle were told they would be restricted from entering without an appointment. Attorneys with appointments were permitted to enter.
June 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
This morning, NWIRP staff members and volunteers who have been providing Know Your Rights materials and consultations to community members at the immigration court in Seattle were told they would be restricted from entering without an appointment. Attorneys with appointments were permitted to enter.
Reposted by Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
While ICE agents can note in their database if someone they’ve investigated turns out to be a citizen, they are not required to do so.
As a result, records are often wrong and left uncorrected even after agents have been told of a mistake.
(Published March 2025)
As a result, records are often wrong and left uncorrected even after agents have been told of a mistake.
(Published March 2025)
Some Americans Have Already Been Caught in Trump’s Immigration Dragnet. More Will Be.
Federal immigration authorities have a history of wrongfully detaining U.S. citizens. Advocates warn that the Trump administration’s immigration policies mean that more citizens will get caught up in…
www.propublica.org
June 10, 2025 at 3:31 AM
While ICE agents can note in their database if someone they’ve investigated turns out to be a citizen, they are not required to do so.
As a result, records are often wrong and left uncorrected even after agents have been told of a mistake.
(Published March 2025)
As a result, records are often wrong and left uncorrected even after agents have been told of a mistake.
(Published March 2025)
NWIRP Executive Director Malou Chávez spoke with @msnbc.com about the confusion and fear our communities are experiencing because of the Presidential Administration's many attacks on their due process rights.
www.msnbc.com/chris-jansin...
www.msnbc.com/chris-jansin...
June 9, 2025 at 11:04 PM
NWIRP Executive Director Malou Chávez spoke with @msnbc.com about the confusion and fear our communities are experiencing because of the Presidential Administration's many attacks on their due process rights.
www.msnbc.com/chris-jansin...
www.msnbc.com/chris-jansin...
We are heartbroken to see immigrant communities under attack, again. This new travel ban, despite exceptions, sends a clear message of exclusion, undermines family reunification, and endangers lives.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
‘Another layer of cruelty’: WA immigrant communities shaken by Trump travel ban
The Seattle region has large numbers of people from several of the countries named in the ban, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Eritrea and Iran.
www.seattletimes.com
June 7, 2025 at 12:28 AM
We are heartbroken to see immigrant communities under attack, again. This new travel ban, despite exceptions, sends a clear message of exclusion, undermines family reunification, and endangers lives.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
These community members are in Djibouti only because DHS violated the terms of a federal district court order requiring DHS to provide them with due process before deporting them to a country that was not listed on their removal orders.
ICE Official Reveals Miserable Conditions for U.S. Immigrants at Djibouti Prison
A top ICE official said illness is common at Camp Lemonnier, with inadequate medical care and exposure to smoke from burn pits.
theintercept.com
June 6, 2025 at 6:33 PM
These community members are in Djibouti only because DHS violated the terms of a federal district court order requiring DHS to provide them with due process before deporting them to a country that was not listed on their removal orders.
Our partners at @immcouncil.org have prepared an analysis of the latest travel ban.
Analysis of Trump's New Travel Ban
Analysis of the June 4, 2025, proclamation imposing visa and travel restrictions on 19 countries.
www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org
June 6, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Our partners at @immcouncil.org have prepared an analysis of the latest travel ban.
Reposted by Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Heartbreaking! Reporting suggests that the facility is currently operating nearly 300 PERCENT above capacity, with 1,700 people crammed into a facility with an official maximum capacity of 600. The conditions have devolved dramatically in the last few months, threatening health and safety.
Immigrants detained at the Krome Detention Center in Florida are protesting being held in deplorable conditions by making a giant SOS sign that can be seen from above.
June 5, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Heartbreaking! Reporting suggests that the facility is currently operating nearly 300 PERCENT above capacity, with 1,700 people crammed into a facility with an official maximum capacity of 600. The conditions have devolved dramatically in the last few months, threatening health and safety.
Yesterday, the Ninth Circuit heard arguments from NWIRP and the State of Washington defending the district court’s finding that the Executive Order is a blatant violation of the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, guaranteeing U.S. citizenship to all who are born in the United States.
In Seattle, appeals court grapples with Trump birthright citizenship order
The arguments at the courtroom in downtown Seattle were far different from a few months ago when a judge called Trump's order "blatantly unconstitutional."
www.seattletimes.com
June 5, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Yesterday, the Ninth Circuit heard arguments from NWIRP and the State of Washington defending the district court’s finding that the Executive Order is a blatant violation of the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, guaranteeing U.S. citizenship to all who are born in the United States.
Reposted by Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
🚨🚨🚨 In the last two hours, the Trump admin:
- Banned all immigrant visas from 19 countries, including Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela
- Banned all student and researcher visas to Harvard
- Colluded with Texas to kick 20,000 undocumented college students off of in-state tuition.
- Banned all immigrant visas from 19 countries, including Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela
- Banned all student and researcher visas to Harvard
- Colluded with Texas to kick 20,000 undocumented college students off of in-state tuition.
June 5, 2025 at 12:40 AM
🚨🚨🚨 In the last two hours, the Trump admin:
- Banned all immigrant visas from 19 countries, including Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela
- Banned all student and researcher visas to Harvard
- Colluded with Texas to kick 20,000 undocumented college students off of in-state tuition.
- Banned all immigrant visas from 19 countries, including Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela
- Banned all student and researcher visas to Harvard
- Colluded with Texas to kick 20,000 undocumented college students off of in-state tuition.
Our May Newsletter is now live! In this month's issue:
> ICE presence in immigration courthouses
> The latest on NWIRP's ongoing class action suits
> Upcoming free immigration webinars
> Resources for immigrants
> How we stay determined in the face of injustice
> ICE presence in immigration courthouses
> The latest on NWIRP's ongoing class action suits
> Upcoming free immigration webinars
> Resources for immigrants
> How we stay determined in the face of injustice
May 2025 NWIRP Newsletter
docs.google.com
May 29, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Our May Newsletter is now live! In this month's issue:
> ICE presence in immigration courthouses
> The latest on NWIRP's ongoing class action suits
> Upcoming free immigration webinars
> Resources for immigrants
> How we stay determined in the face of injustice
> ICE presence in immigration courthouses
> The latest on NWIRP's ongoing class action suits
> Upcoming free immigration webinars
> Resources for immigrants
> How we stay determined in the face of injustice
We have seen an increase in the number of green-card holders being detained at ports of entry like Sea-Tac airport. This week, NWIRP Deputy Director Vanessa Gutierrez spoke about the issue with the South Seattle Emerald.
Sea-Tac Airport Detentions Prompt Travel Warnings for Washington Green-Card Holders
An Olympia father returning from the Philippines was detained at Sea-Tac Airport — part of a pattern advocates say is targeting green-card holders under renewed federal enforcement. Immigration groups...
southseattleemerald.org
May 29, 2025 at 4:40 PM
We have seen an increase in the number of green-card holders being detained at ports of entry like Sea-Tac airport. This week, NWIRP Deputy Director Vanessa Gutierrez spoke about the issue with the South Seattle Emerald.
Supervising Attorney Henry Hwang spoke with @kuow.org's Soundside podcast about your rights if stopped by immigration officers like ICE. Check it out at the link below!
A Seattle immigration attorney on ICE and your rights - Soundside
An attorney with the Northwest Immigrant Right Project talks about ICE and your rights, regardless of a person's legal status.
omny.fm
May 27, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Supervising Attorney Henry Hwang spoke with @kuow.org's Soundside podcast about your rights if stopped by immigration officers like ICE. Check it out at the link below!
Immigrants deserve due process, which is why our staff has been present this week at the Seattle Immigration Court to warn and inform community members that ICE officers are trying to place people whose cases have been dismissed in expedited removal proceedings.
How WA advocates are reacting to a new ICE tactic
People mobilized at Seattle Immigration Court to advise immigrants of their rights and support those taken away in what appears to be a new tactic to fast-track removals.
www.seattletimes.com
May 24, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Immigrants deserve due process, which is why our staff has been present this week at the Seattle Immigration Court to warn and inform community members that ICE officers are trying to place people whose cases have been dismissed in expedited removal proceedings.
Yesterday's ICE raid in Kent also involved the IRS, and at least one person from the raid is now being held at the detention center in Tacoma. We are heartbroken for those who were impacted yesterday, as well as their families.
www.spokesman.com/stories/2025...
www.spokesman.com/stories/2025...
IRS participates in immigration raid at Kent beverage company
In one of the first immigration raids involving the Internal Revenue Service, federal agents arrested 17 people at a Kent beverage manufacturing company Tuesday.
www.spokesman.com
May 22, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Yesterday's ICE raid in Kent also involved the IRS, and at least one person from the raid is now being held at the detention center in Tacoma. We are heartbroken for those who were impacted yesterday, as well as their families.
www.spokesman.com/stories/2025...
www.spokesman.com/stories/2025...