Neighbors Organize Door-to-Door Outreach After ICE Apprehension in New Holly

Community members went door-to-door in the New Holly neighborhood on Sunday, Dec. 14, to share information on how residents can respond to immigration enforcement, following a recent apprehension by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the area.

A video circulating on social media appears to show unidentified immigration enforcement agents along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South adjacent to the New Holly neighborhood. In the video, a person is taken out of a  car in the middle of the street.

The Washington Immigration Solidarity Network, who runs the deportation defense hotline and a rapid response network to verify immigration enforcement activity, confirmed there was an ICE apprehension in New Holly.

The door-to-door event was organized within a week of the video going viral by Whose Streets? Our Streets! (WSOS) and the MLK Transportation Justice Team in an effort to inform nearby neighbors about how to protect themselves if ICE comes to the neighborhood.

"There's a real reason to be afraid right now," said Maria Abando, an organizer with WSOS. "Hearing stories of things happening in our neighborhoods, feeling the fear continue to escalate, and the anxiety and the stress within our communities, we just have to show up for each other."

Over 50 volunteers gathered at East African Community Services to pick up clipboards with "Know Your Rights" flyers and posters, along with whistles, to share with residents. They spent more than three hours knocking on the doors of several hundred homes.

The whistles are part of a recent effort to protect immigrants by drawing attention when immigration enforcement is spotted nearby or seen apprehending someone. Whistles have been used in Southern California and Chicago to quickly alert people in the area and potentially draw them out of their homes and businesses to witness or protest ICE activities.

Jackie Vaughn, a Rainier Valley resident and organizer, talked about how ICE takes advantage of people who haven't been informed about their rights. This can look like immigration enforcement not presenting a warrant, or providing a document that's not a legal warrant, signed by a judge or magistrate. Without legitimate paperwork, people have the right to refuse entry and remain silent.

While walking the neighborhood, Vaughn described how face-to-face interactions cultivate trust and relationships among neighbors. She commented how the people who answered their doors were responsive to the information. Some residents told her how they had already been organizing text threads with their neighbors on how to respond to these events. 

"We've been laying the foundation so that people know the power that they have and they're able to build with each other," Vaugh said. "Community members want to send a clear message that ICE is not welcomed here."

WSOS is continuing its door-to-door efforts in other South End neighborhoods. The next event will be in Rainier Vista on Sunday, Dec. 21, from 1 to 4 p.m. Volunteers will meet at the Wilcox Center at Rainier Vista, also known as the Neighborhood House Center.

"We can't afford to isolate and not be connected because community is going to be the thing that keeps us safe," Abando said.

Editors' Note: This article was updated with the date of the next outreach event.