Individuals linked to Washington state have been expelled to foreign nations and the Guantánamo Bay detention center.
In a recent report by the University of Washington Center for Human Rights, King County's cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has come under scrutiny. The report details Washington's ties to migrants deported to El Salvador, Guantanamo Bay, and South Sudan.
Last year, the state corrections department released 101 individuals to ICE, and this year, through mid-July, it has released 51 individuals to ICE custody. The report indicates that 14 immigrants with Washington connections were expelled to these locations. Seven immigrants were sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador, six to Guantanamo Bay, and one to South Sudan.
The state's 2019 Keep Washington Working Act prohibits most local agencies from cooperating with immigration authorities, with the exception of the corrections department. This exception allowed King County to be forced to allow ICE to use Boeing Field after a federal court ruled that the local government overstepped its authority in 2019.
The corrections department is required to know the whereabouts of people who have community supervision requirements as part of their sentences. However, once individuals are handed off to ICE, the corrections department is not responsible for their treatment.
The report cites national and international laws and treaties that condemn sending people to places where they are likely to face grave danger. It also refers to a United Nations convention that calls for an end to "enforced disappearances," or the practice of imprisoning people while concealing their fate.
Some migrants deported to Guantanamo Bay have reported being mistreated. Immigrants deported to third countries have at times remained incommunicado, with their whereabouts unknown to lawyers and family members.
The UW report traced deportation paths, implicating local agencies and companies in some way. The report also criticizes King County for allowing ICE to use Boeing Field for chartered deportation flights.
Corrections Secretary Tim Lang is aware of lawsuits challenging deportations to third countries and Guantanamo Bay. He believes that litigation "seems like the appropriate forum for decisions" about whether such deportations are lawful. Lang also stated that ICE shares information with the corrections department about individuals who are detained.
The state corrections department employs an "ICE liaison" and shares information with ICE about who is in its prisons and when people wanted by immigration authorities will be released. This information allows ICE, if it chooses, to go to the relevant prison to pick up those individuals.
The UW report does not contain information about the three other immigrants connected to Washington who lived in Tacoma before their deportation. Despite this, the report raises significant concerns about Washington's role in deportations and the potential consequences for those being sent to countries where they may face grave danger.
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