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Dozens from Seattle and Portland rally to free man from Tacoma ICE detention center
From the shirts they wore to the signs they carried, on Saturday dozens gathered to demand the release of a 22-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker who is being detained at the Northwest Ice Processing Center in Tacoma.
SEATTLE - From the shirts they wore to the signs they carried, on Saturday dozens gathered to demand the release of a 22-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker who is being detained at the Northwest Ice Processing Center in Tacoma.
Rally organizers told FOX 13, Jorge Luis lives in Portland, but Saturday marked 100 days since he has been detained.
"He is right now seeking asylum and was following the process and on February 20 he got detained in Portland during regular check-in, and they have denied his bond, and they’re currently trying to appeal it," Karla Castañeda, Executive Director for Voz Workers’ Rights Education Project said.
Tacoma ICE detention center protest on May 31, 2025
She, along with several others, packed a bus and seven other cars and drove from Oregon to Tacoma for Saturday’s rally.
She told FOX 13, he has no known criminal history in the United States.
What they're saying:
"Immigrants in general are under attack, they’re being targeted and constantly being dehumanized," Castañeda said.
"It’s another family ripped apart. The majority of the people we’re fighting for today are fathers, they’re parents who have loved ones, not just spouses, but they also have children, children who are U.S. citizens who live here who are experiencing this horrific reality and my heart breaks with every person and I feel enraged which is why I continue to be out here," Jessica Rojas, International Migrants Alliance in Washington said.
Tacoma ICE detention center protest on May 31, 2025
She was at the detention center just two days ago, when UW lab tech and green card holder, Lewelyn Dixon also known as ‘Aunty Lynn’ was released from this same center three months after her detainment.
"Aunty Lynn was really a hope, she was fighting for not just herself but others in detention," Rojas said.
Saturday’s rally also paid tribute to those lost at detention centers with a memorial.
"When we are out here, we’re amplifying the stories of one, we’re always amplifying to have this entire detention center shut down. No one should have to experience these atrocities that are there, and we’re fighting to free them all," Rojas said.
FOX 13 reached out to the public affairs officer for ICE to get more information on this case, but as of Saturday evening, have yet to hear back.
The Source: Information for this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle interviews.
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