North Seattle neighbors record immigration detention of two landscapers
Seattle landscaping workers detained in apparent ICE raid
Two landscaping workers were detained in a presume immigration road in North Seattle, with agents leaving their work truck abandoned in the street.
SEATTLE - The sound of a whistle drew residents out of their homes and into the street Tuesday morning after neighbors say immigration agents detained workers in a landscaping truck in a North Seattle neighborhood.
Several neighbors recorded video and took photographs of the operation, saying they wanted to document what they witnessed and alert others nearby.
FOX 13 has reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), seeking information about the detention, including why the men were taken into custody, where they are being held and their immigration status.
As of publication, the agencies had not provided those details.
One response from ICE stated, in part, "Unfortunately, that is not enough for us to work from," after the location of the detention was provided.
Whistles alerted neighbors to operation
Leslie Lord, who has worked in the neighborhood for about eight years, said she was inside her office when she heard whistles outside.
"All of a sudden, I heard the whistles, and I was like, ‘Wait a second,’ — you know — ‘What’s going on out there?’ So I stepped out and I saw a gal that was over here blowing a whistle, and now the neighbors started all coming out and gathering and videoing," Lord said.
Lord said she was familiar with the use of whistles as a warning system.
"Yes. Yeah, I have my own whistle," Lord said.
She said she immediately began recording.
"Because it needs to be documented," Lord said.
But it's the feeling she says she hasn't been able to shake.
"A pit in my stomach, Lord said. "Made me very sad, because I knew that somebody who just wants to make a better life for themselves is getting harassed."
According to Lord, roughly four to six agents were present. She described them as wearing camouflage clothing, hats, sunglasses and gaiters covering parts of their faces.
"They were wearing their camouflage and their gaiters and their hats and their sunglasses, you know, hiding behind all of their gear," Lord said.
Lord said she observed four vehicles, including what appeared to be an undercover-style patrol vehicle, a pickup truck and additional SUVs.
She said she was unable to see the men being detained because agents and vehicles obstructed her view.
Landscaping truck left behind
After the operation ended, Lord said she and a friend looked inside the landscaping truck.
The image she found there has remained with her.
"Their lunches are sitting on the back seat, you know. I mean, they were just going out, you know, to go make a living, you know. And now, who knows if their family knows where they are?" Lord said.
Lord said she later learned from neighbors that multiple people had been taken from the vehicle.
When asked why she felt compelled to get involved, she pointed to what she views as a responsibility to support members of the community.
"I feel blessed to know that there are people out there. At first, I was like, ‘Do I want to get involved?’ I was like, ‘Well, wait a second. If I don’t get involved, then who am I to sit there and say, you know, anything?’" said Lord. "The least I can do is help stand up for them."
Another resident awakened by whistle
Virginia Garibay Cancino said she was asleep when her husband woke her up and told her immigration agents were outside.
"Well, I was asleep, and my husband came to wake me up and said, ‘Don't be alarmed, but ICE is out there arresting someone.’" Garibay Cancino explained in Spanish.
She went out to see what was happening, which had initially caught her husband's attention because a woman was loudly blowing a whistle, causing many neighbors to emerge from their homes.
She and her husband recorded video after coming outside, joining other neighbors who had gathered on the street.
"It really feels awful, and it made me very sad because, well, it’s a kind of panic that so many of us feel," Garibay Cancino said. "It was a deeply upsetting and heartbreaking experience, as it reflects the very real fear shared by so many of us."
Questions remain unanswered
ICE agents arrested approximately 10,000 people over a five-day period at the end of June, according to the AP. The figure amounts to an average of about 2,000 arrests per day.
The locations where those arrests were carried out have not been publicly disclosed. FOX 13 Seattle reached out to several federal agencies to ask whether the surge in arrests was tied to a new quota or directive, but officials did not provide a direct answer.
Residents said the whistles served two purposes: alerting neighbors to the operation and encouraging documentation of what was happening.
The identities of the detained men, the reason for their detention and where they were taken remain unknown.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Alejandra Guzman.