Immigrants in Clark County — those both with and without documentation — are terrified of the mass deportations that President Donald Trump has promised.
Local organizations are helping them learn their rights and how to interact with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid rumored sightings of plain-clothed agents around Clark County.
Members of Hispanic organizations in the county have expressed trepidation and confusion over what may happen to themselves, their friends and their family members. Some are avoiding grocery stores, schools and workplaces out of fear.
Changes, challenges
Since Trump stepped into office Jan. 20, the country has experienced a flurry of executive orders, policies and legislation that puts unauthorized immigrants — as well as some with legal permission to be here — at risk.
Over the past few weeks, the Trump administration has called for increased immigration enforcement and an end to birthright citizenship — an action that’s on hold while it’s being legally challenged. The administration also revoked the temporary protected status extension for Venezuelans, which removes work authorizations and makes Venezuelan immigrants eligible for deportation.
Orders from the Department of Homeland Security mean hospitals, medical clinics, churches and schools are no longer protected places for undocumented immigrants from ICE detainment (although many Clark County agencies have stressed that they are not involved in immigration enforcement).
Last month, Congress passed the Laken Riley Act, which mandates the federal detention of undocumented immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, was one of 46 House Democrats to vote in favor of the bill.
As of 2022, an estimated 325,000 undocumented immigrants live in Washington, about 4 percent of the population, according to the most recently available Pew Research Center data. Between 2021 and 2022, Washington’s undocumented immigrant population increased by 8 percent, making it one of the 27 states with a gain.
Many Washington officials have voiced their support for protecting the state’s undocumented immigrant population.
However, the wave of policy changes has incited anxiety in immigrant communities across Washington, including Clark County.
‘Stress and trauma’
Having to leave her family behind is one Vancouver woman’s greatest fear. She’s a 50-year-old undocumented immigrant from Mexico, but she’s spent more than half her life in the United States. (The Columbian is withholding her name so she isn’t targeted for enforcement.)
If she were deported, there would be no one to care for her son with special needs, she said.
“There’s a lot of stress and trauma (at) just a thought of encountering an immigration officer,” she said.
Rumors of ICE agents in Clark County have caused distress, she said, but she’s also grateful to hear where agents might be so she and her loved ones can avoid those areas. She’s often nervous to go out in public and now limits how often she goes to the grocery store.
“Every time you go to a church or school, you have to be watching your back,” she said. “And this is not being paranoid. This is real, because it’s your safety, not only for yourself, but for your family.”
The Columbian asked ICE whether the agency has recently increased its presence in Clark County.
“Due to our operational tempo and the increased interest in our agency, we are not able to research and respond to rumors or specifics of routine daily operations for ICE,” said David Yost, public affairs officer for ICE Seattle.
Chuukese immigrants
Chuukese immigrants, who have a large presence in Clark County, are protected by The Compacts of Free Association, an agreement between the U.S. and three Pacific Island nations, including the Federated States of Micronesia.
However, that doesn’t completely ease anxiety in the community, said Dania Otto, executive director of the Sakura 39ers Youth Association.
People can still be deported for certain crimes under the agreement. But many in the community are frightened that they will be profiled and stopped by ICE, and unable to explain in English that they are here legally.
The Sakura 39ers Youth Association, which supports Clark County’s Chuukese residents, has been busy helping immigrants with passport applications and other forms they could show if stopped by ICE agents.
“We’ve seen heightened fear and anxiety in our community,” Otto said.
Attorney advice
Mercedes Riggs, a Vancouver immigration attorney working for the nonprofit SOAR Immigration Legal Services, said “people need to trust their gut” when someone suspicious approaches them.
Some of her clients have received knocks on their doors from plain-clothed people who seem like ICE agents going door to door in apartment complexes. However, many don’t actually say they’re from ICE.
“They are known to be a bit deceptive in their purpose for being there … to lure somebody out,” Riggs said.
If a possible ICE agent comes knocking, Riggs recommends not opening the door.
“Say, ‘You need to provide me with a warrant signed by a judge and your ID, and I don’t have to talk to you. I’m not going to talk to you until I have my lawyer,’ ” Riggs said.
ICE agents cannot come inside without a warrant or the tenants’ permission, Riggs said. Any paperwork should be held up to the peephole or slid under the door, she said.
People have flocked to her office for help amid the onslaught of executive orders, which has caused chaos and confusion among immigration attorneys, Riggs said.
She’s been teaching clients their rights, who in turn teach their children what to say if they ever encounter ICE.
“Even prior clients that should be fine (are) wanting to seek legal advice again and just are concerned and anxious,” Riggs said.
