Trans/Women Group Shuts Downtown Seattle Street Calling for Justice for Immigrants in Detention

from Trans and/or Women’s Action Camp

Seattle, WA- Trans and/or Women’s Action Camp (TWAC) in solidarity with NWDC Resistance and the Not1More movement to end detentions and deportations, held a civil disobedience action to bring attention to ICE presence in downtown Seattle.

TWAC called attention to ICE, located on 1000 Second Ave where they are headquartered and have a large presence, and their local quota guarantees a minimum of 1,100 bed to be filled at the immigration jail in Tacoma (Northwest Detention Center) operated by Geo Group corporation.This quota is built into the contract between ICE Seattle and Geo, and motivates the agency to round up immigrants in the area. The contract fuels the recent anti-immigrant politics in Congress that exposes the real intentions of Republicans and Democrats who both introduce and pass bills to scapegoat immigrants and exploit family tragedies.

Both parties are guilty of criminalizing immigrants while sustaining the detention and deportation system; one of the most corrupt institutions in the country.

“TWAC is standing in solidarity with the work that the NWDC Resistance is doing. We are locking down against the unwarranted racial profiling of immigrants and specifically the unfair treatment of trans detainees.

TWAC is strongly opposed to trans people in detention centers being placed in “medical observation” which is GEO and ICE’s code for solitary confinement. TWAC is against this dehumanizing policy and supports the abolition of all detention centers and prisons” said from TWAC Katie Rickman.

“Trans Queer people and immigrants alike are victims of criminalization, imprisonment and deportation. We all work together to end the detention and prison industrial complex and we are ready to continue shedding light on Geo and ICE’s collaboration. Our actions will continue, our fight won’t end until everyone is free” said Maru Mora Villalpando from NWDC Resistance.

For pictures and video please visit www.notonemoredeportation.com and NWDC Resistance Facebook page.