Every month or so, Dennis and I work at the Aid-Northwest Welcome Center, an aging RV parked in front of the Northwest Detention Center, an ICE immigration prison run by a private contractor Geo in Tacoma Washington. Those dreaded places, as bad as they say. No visibility or accountability. You get picked up 'without papers' and they dump you in there and they might not let you out. No way to know how many people are in there.
They do release people. Usually people who have paid large bonds. Sometimes, people are granted asylum. Or are released like Evangeline though that is rare. But they just dump them out the gate in the tideflats of Tacoma. Near nothing. So Aid-NW has their RV and our job is to intercept the people who are released and get them on their next step. They also rent a small house for short-term housing. You never know how many are released or what they will need. A Jewish group has a monthly shift. We worked it yesterday. Fortunately two out of the four of us spoke Spanish. You can't really have more than 4 people. There's just not room enough. Other people stop by, attorneys, ministry, World Relief people, people waiting for their loved ones. Always busy.
Yesterday 5 men were released. At 4 different times. 3 from India, 2 from Mexico. Only 1 spoke much English. Those from India often ask to go to the Sikh Center, a facility in Renton. We have a taxi driver, Solomon, who will take them there. We ask people if they have cab fare, if not we call the Sikh Center and ask if they will pay, they always say yes. I think Solomon does get paid sometimes. But he'll always come. My first man from India wanted to go there. Often we stall before calling to see if anybody else is coming. We also collect information of those released, there is no other record. He wanted to go to Stockton. I waited, eventually called Solomon who came about 40 minutes later. Just as he arrives, there's another release, an Indian man who also wants to go to Sikh Center. They know each other, so much brightening of mood. We send them off with Solomon. A man from Mexico wants to go to American Falls Idaho, nearest town is Pocatelo. Fortunately C can talk to sister in Spanish. He can go on the bus 37 hours through Butte MT for $179. One the plane for $489. Sister won't pay for plane so he'll go on the bus. But he has to be there early in the morning. World Relief fortunately has volunteers who will house people overnight and deliver them to airport or bus station the next morning, So he goes with them after much negotiation. He has no money so we give him some snacks and money from petty cash. Another man from Mexico has family picking him up from Portland so we bring him up to the house to wait. We do know of a local food court and Dennis and I like the idea of feeding them a meal before they go off. In the middle of this, J and I take 2 men and buy them some food. Meanwhile, there's a late release, etc.
They're not fed well there and, when they come out, they are often hungry, But proud. We also have some clothes and coats in the back room that many are glad to receive.
And everybody takes an offered backpack.
View is near the RV looking down the street. They used to have demonstrations there all the time. But Tacoma police (and, I heard, right wing vigilantes) cut the demonstrations by putting up all these extra fences and warning signs (see left). I don't like that.
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