No ICE raids confirmed in Yakima County as state nonprofit tracks rumors
The Washington Immigration Solidarity Network, or WAISN, said Friday it hasn’t confirmed immigration enforcement raids in Yakima County.
Rumors about federal immigration enforcement raids have spread locally after President Donald Trump began taking steps to ramp up deportations on Monday.
WAISN receives reports about Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, through its deportation defense hotline, said Executive Director Brenda Rodríguez López, but added nothing had been confirmed as of Friday.
Trump’s executive orders have created fewer restrictions for federal immigration authorities like ICE, and he has pledged mass deportations.
Rodríguez López said WAISN sends teams of trained volunteers to locations where ICE activity has been reported.
“The volunteers will speak with businesses and people in the area, and drive around the area to look for the activity that was described to us,” she said in an email statement. “As of today, none of the rumors we have received have been confirmed.”
WAISN’s hotline operates from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Rodríguez López said people can text the hotline if operators are unavailable. She encouraged community members to reach out.
“We ask our community that if they have seen or heard a rumor, please ask the person who saw the activity in person to call our Deportation Defense hotline. We need first-hand reports,” she said in the statement.
Immigrant rights advocates have suggested that community members look to trusted organizations like WAISN for information about ICE activity.
“It’s hard not to panic, but know your rights, have a plan and, if you’re eligible, apply (for citizenship). Refer to your local organizations for information,” said Eilish Villa Malone, a staff attorney focused on immigration at Central Washington Legal Aid.
WAISN said it will share confirmed raids or sightings of immigration enforcement activities on its Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook social media accounts.
Local law enforcement
Yakima County’s sheriff and police chiefs in Yakima and Sunnyside said this week they are focused on enforcing local laws, and leave immigration enforcement to federal officials. They said they are not making changes as a result of the president’s immigration orders this week.
Interim Yakima Police Chief Shawn Boyle said the YPD encourages all residents who are crime victims to call police for help, and that the city will seek to hold those who break local laws accountable, regardless of immigration status.
Sunnyside City Manager Mike Gonzalez said Monday the Sunnyside Police Department is not conducting any immigration enforcement or coordinating with ICE on any type of raid in the city. He said the city wanted to dispel rumors circulating in the community, and was responding to requests from the business community and residents.
Yakima County’s population is 53% Latino. The percentage is higher in Lower Valley communities like Mabton and Sunnyside. The Migration Policy Institute estimates Yakima County could have 24,000 immigrants without legal status, making up as much as 9% of the population.