Rumors of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Skagit and Whatcom counties have proven true — first with the arrest of a farmworker in Sedro-Woolley, and then a large-scale raid at Mt. Baker Roofing’s warehouse in Bellingham that led to 37 arrests. Local law enforcement, while reinforcing that they do not collaborate with ICE, confirmed the federal agency’s local presence.
The fallout is being felt in La Conner and across the region. Local workers canceled weekend jobs, fearing harassment. Neighbors have reported spotting ICE vehicles along I-5, fueling anxiety and speculation.
Among Latine communities, fear is running high.
“I think everyone is afraid,” said a U.S. citizen whose parents are naturalized immigrants from Mexico. They asked not to be named.
“Our family is naturalized, but I have relatives who are DACA recipients,” they said, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. “They’re afraid to update their status. Even though I’m a citizen, I don’t leave home without my passport and proof of citizenship.”
According to the Associated Press, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit, along with Customs and Border Protection, arrived at Mt. Baker Roofing around 7:30 a.m. last Wednesday. By the time the raid ended, 37 people had been taken into custody.
“They (law enforcement) arrived wielding their guns like they were going to shoot us, like we were criminals,” Tomas Fuerte told Cascadia Daily News in Spanish. “They corralled us into a room in the back of the building. They had a list and pictures of everyone who was undocumented and took them away.”
Fuerte, a 12-year employee of the company, said the detained workers were loaded onto two buses.
ICE spokesperson David Yost told the AP the raid was part of a federal investigation into the “unlawful employment of aliens without legal work authorization.”
The Bellingham sweep came just a week after another high-profile ICE action in Sedro-Woolley. On March 25, agents arrested 25-year-old farmworker and longtime activist Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez. A member of the Indigenous Mixteco community from Mexico, Juarez has advocated for farmworker rights in Washington since he was 14.
According to The Seattle Times, ICE said Juarez had a deportation order issued in 2018. He initially refused to leave his vehicle, and witnesses say agents broke his car window before detaining him.
ICE has also acknowledged a separate enforcement action in February that led to five arrests in Skagit and Whatcom counties, all involving individuals with DUI convictions.
Despite the growing concern, reliable information is scarce. Skagit County Sheriff Brad Holmes emphasized that his department does not cooperate with ICE as directed under Washington state law.
“It’s not about choosing sides,” Holmes said. “It’s the law — we are not allowed to.”
Kari Mar: kari@laconnercommunitynews.org. Kari is the executive editor and publisher.
