Tacoma, Washington — A rally on May 31 calling for an end to detention of migrants in the privately run ICE concentration camp in Tacoma, Washington, known as Northwest Detention Center brought people together from multiple Pacific Northwest cities, including Salem and Portland, Oregon, Tacoma, and Seattle. 

Participating organizations included La Resistencia, VOZ/Workers’ Rights Education Project, Latinos Unidos Siempre (LUS), International Migrants Alliance (IMA), Migrante Portland, National Day Labor Organizing Network, Resist U.S. Led War, Interfaith Movement For Immigrant Justice, Tanggol Migrante and other groups united by the Deportation Defense Committee of Portland.

Prior to the start of the program, a bus with captives arrived at the facility and was greeted with chants of “No están solos” (you are not alone), directed at the people caught up in the brutal machinery of the immigration system. As more than 100 people gathered in the rain, employees from the private company GEO Group filmed the crowd in an attempt at intimidation. The crowd was not moved by the agents’ cowardly actions. It was evident that efforts of grassroots organizers are having an effect.

Speakers made it clear that though they were lifting up some of the more publicized names such as Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez Zeferino, Jorge Luis and Aunty Lynn (who, it was reported, was released from captivity as of May 31), the rally aimed to free all those detained from across the world. Musical performances helped to charge the crowd. Activists’ efforts had the immediate effect of causing authorities in the facility to take the desperate step of blocking phone calls to Jorge Luis, which would have allowed him and others to see the diverse support of the community.

Speakers made connections about the material conditions caused by imperialists, including the sanctions imposed on Venezuela, which, as Emma from IMA explained, are “literally starving the people of Venezuela.” These sanctions are causing desperation to the point of forced migration to the U.S., where migrants are met with a hostile system that criminalizes them instantly.

Alena, a Youth Leader from LUS, which organizes youths in Salem, Oregon, elaborated on the relationship of deportations and incarcerations to the system that is waging a brutal genocide in Palestine and elsewhere. They remarked that “capitalism leads to fascism as it fills capitalists’ pockets.” Further, they brought to light the role of companies like Avelo Airlines that, as contractors of ICE, are profiting from extrajudicial deportation flights. Alena led the crowd with chants, including, “When the capitalists benefit from terrorizing us, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

All the speakers brought home the major theme of the rally: “We won’t stop until we’re all free.” They made it clear that there are multiple ways those gathered can fight back against the fascist system that stands against humanity. 

To support this struggle and find out more information about some of the detainees, visit the websites and social media of the groups listed above, and sign petitions at: lnk.bio/FreeThemAll.