David Tobin

ILWACO, Wash. — Educators and local leaders decided to use only word-of-mouth to spread news of a meeting for families affected by recent U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement raids.

They gathered quietly in the library at Ilwaco High after school last week to prepare parents in case federal ICE agents return to make more arrests in Pacific County.

“We’ve lost a few families,” Amy Huntley, director of migrant and bilingual services for the Ocean Beach School District, said. “This isn’t something people talk about.”

Educators and others wanted to quell fears and quash rumors by providing information after at least one local family was split up during a recent raid. Federal agents arrested 84 foreign nationals from 12 countries in the Pacific Northwest during a three-day operation in late March, according to an ICE news release.

Of those detained during the sweep of Washington state, Oregon and Alaska, 60 had criminal histories. Almost half of them, 29, were convicted of drug- or alcohol-related offenses, such as driving under the influence. One arrest during the operation took place in Knappa. The individual is a Mexican national with a conviction for cocaine possession.

President Donald Trump wants to increase deportations as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration, but some public officials have been critical of the federal government’s tactics.

Washington State Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst in March told ICE she was troubled by enforcement actions near courthouses. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, Democrats from Oregon, have co-sponsored a bill that would codify rules that require immigration agents to get approval from a supervisor before conducting operations at schools, hospitals, churches or other sensitive locations. A House version of the bill, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, would expand the policy to courthouses.

“We’re trying to get families ready,” Cindy Guzman, the Ocean Beach School District’s migrant student advocate, said at the Ilwaco meeting. “I hear a lot of worries from kids that they’re going to come home from school and mom and dad won’t be there.”

Guzman passed out thick packets of information in English and Spanish. She advised parents to fill out forms and have them notarized to leave legal instructions for the care of their children in case their family is split up.

“Parents have been very emotional,” Guzman said. “It’s hard to witness.”

She urged them to make sure their children know where to find emergency contacts and important documents, such as passports, birth certificates, immunization records and Social Security cards. Guzman gave out the forms needed to get those documents and told parents they can go to the district office or a local credit union to have paperwork notarized for free.

She provided other resources, including information about immigrants’ rights and what to do during a raid or after an arrest.

People do not have to fear being reported to immigration by local law enforcement or school officials, Guzman said. She assured parents it’s safe to let their children go to class and call police if they need help.

Local authorities in Washington state do not ask people to show proof of immigration status, she said. Schools do not help federal agents with deportations.

Ilwaco High Principal David Tobin said he has no intention of turning students over to immigration.

“We’re going to protect our kids,” he said.

Leaders with nonprofit, church and political groups at the meeting joined educators in trying to show immigrants how to get the support they need.

Ricky Holmes said he’s seen how the federal crackdown has hurt immigrant families through his work with the nonprofit Coastal Community Action Program.

“It’s a tragedy,” he said. “We want to help people.”

Immigrants don’t have to be afraid to ask for support from the program that works with people who have low incomes in Pacific and Grays Harbor counties, Holmes said. Identification is not required to sign up for services and case workers can use numbers instead of names to keep client records confidential.

“With this president, we don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said.

ICE and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials are expected to provide more information during a meeting scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. on May 4 at Ilwaco’s New Life Church.