by Vee Hua 華婷婷
With only two weeks remaining in Ramadan — a holy month observed by Muslims the world over — the Washington State Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) sent a letter last week citing "reports that Muslim individuals being detained at Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) are not able to meaningfully observe Ramadan this year due to a lack of timely and appropriate meals provided before and after fasting."
The message, sent in partnership with the ACLU of Washington, was addressed to Warden Bruce Scott of the privately run immigration detention facility, NWDC, the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Field Office, and the local ICE Community Relations Officer.
It called for the food issues to be addressed immediately, along with NWDC's lack of hygiene and clean laundry, since cleanliness is crucial for fasting and praying during the month of Ramadan. Many Muslims abstain from food, and often water, between sunrise and sunset each day during Ramadan, which is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. NWDC is operated by a private company, GEO Group.
Naeem, a 52-year-old individual currently detained at NWDC, spoke with La Resistencia, a grassroots organization that works to end the detention of immigrants and stop deportations. He shared that he has received late meals for the first half of Ramadan, which is particularly problematic because he has diabetes.
"The suffering that NWDC has caused immigrant communities cannot be measured," said Maru Mora-Villalpando, founder of La Resistencia, in a press release. "The disrespect to Naeem's religion during Ramadan is an important part of the violence that detention inflicts; GEO Group and ICE do not care about the bodily integrity of detainees, and they feel the same way about their spiritual integrity. I am hunger striking to permanently shut down this place, liberate all detainees like Naeem, and bring accountability to a place that has caused so much pain."
CAIR-WA also cited Section 3 of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), enacted by Congress in 2000, which "requires that government officials do not 'impose a substantial burden on the religious exercise" of incarcerated individuals "unless the government demonstrates the imposition of the burden on that person (1) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and (2) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest."
The holy month of Ramadan began on Sunday, March 10, and ends on Tuesday, April 9. It is followed by Eid al-Fitr, which is a three-day holiday with mandatory prayers.
In 2018, a federal judge ordered Washington State prisons to accommodate the nighttime meals that incarcerated individuals need to observe Ramadan. That suit was also filed by CAIR, on behalf of four Muslim inmates who were suing the Monroe Correctional Facility's Ramadan meal policy.
Earlier this month, a 61-year-old man, Charles Leo Daniel, was found dead at NWDC. After their analysis of federal ICE data, the University of Washington's Center for Human Rights discovered that the man had been held in solitary confinement for over three years — possibly four. The report concluded that Daniel "served the second-longest stretch in solitary confinement of any person in ICE custody since 2018, despite being identified by ICE as having significant illness." He was held for a total of 1,244 days between April 2020 and September 2023, separated into two stints.
The report, which is a part of an ongoing investigation into human rights concerns at NWDC, also concluded, "Of the ten longest placements in ICE solitary confinement in the nation between 2018 and 2023, five were at Tacoma's Northwest Detention Center, a private immigration prison operated by the GEO Group."
A 28-year-old Central District resident and homelessness policy advocate, Alexis Mercedes Rinck, has announced her campaign for Seattle City Council Position 8, which is citywide. Rinck is thus far the first challenger to run against current interim councilmember Tanya Woo, who announced her attempt to secure a permanent seat earlier this month.
Rinck is currently an assistant director for Policy, Planning, and State Operations at the University of Washington, focusing on fiscal and policy for higher education. Prior to that, she was a director of Sub-Regional Planning and Equitable Engagement at the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA), where she helped develop its five-year plan, which was applicable to multiple jurisdictions.
Issues of importance to Rinck include evidence-based approaches to solving public issues, such as the housing crisis, encampment resolutions, drug decriminalization, mobile treatment programs, gun violence prevention programs, public transit, and progressive taxes. As reported by The Stranger, she has also been "a community organizer protesting the Trump administration, a Planned Parenthood canvasser, a proud food service worker, [and] a college graduate for both bachelor's and master's degrees."
On Tuesday, several new gun-related bills were signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee, during a brief event at the Capitol Building in Olympia. All four relate to gun safety, reporting requirements, and law enforcement's relationship to firearms.
Among the bills signed was Senate Bill 5444, which prohibits open carry of firearms in public spaces, such as transit hubs, libraries, zoos, and aquariums. Exceptions are made for individuals who are licensed to carry a concealed pistol.
House Bill 2118 adds to existing business operations protocols by establishing additional requirements that licensed firearms dealers must adhere to. Among those are conducting annual background checks on employees, locking firearms at any point where the gun is not actively being worked on, and maintaining the operation of a digital video surveillance system that meets certain specified requirements. Businesses must keep detailed logs of all sales and respond in a timely manner to all law enforcement inquiries.
House Bill 1903 mandates that gun owners who have experienced theft or unauthorized access of their firearms report the theft to law enforcement within 24 hours of the incident. The deadline for reporting was shortened from its previous length of five days.
House Bill 2021 allows Washington State law enforcement to destroy — through melting or shredding — privately owned firearms that they have confiscated or obtained through firearm buy-back programs. State or local law enforcement entities that conduct the buy-back programs will create their own procedures. King County is among the entities that have created firearm and ammunition return programs.
Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the editor-in-chief of REDEFINE, a long-time member of the Seattle Arts Commission, and a film educator at the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they previously served as executive director and played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences. After a recent stint as the interim managing editor at South Seattle Emerald, they are moving into production on their feature film, Reckless Spirits, which is a metaphysical, multilingual POC buddy comedy. They have a master's in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the American Indian Studies Department at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.
📸 Featured Image: Northwest ICE Processing Center (formerly known as Northwest Detention Center) in 2017. (Photo: Sharon Ho Chang)
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