‘Immigrants are welcome’ signs appear in Bellingham shops’ windows. Here’s why

“Immigrants are welcome.” That three-word phrase is popping up on signs across downtown Bellingham and Whatcom County as part of a new program called “Signs of Solidarity.”

“Signs of Solidarity (SOS), a program born of the No Kings movement, urges businesses locally and across the country to stand up and say ‘no’ to escalating ICE crackdowns. Volunteers from Indivisible Bellingham and other organizations are canvassing and educating businesses, offering an easy, impactful way to take action,” a news release from Indivisible Bellingham states.

Several signs are already on display at downtown Bellingham businesses, such as COF& and El Capitan’s restaurant.

“I don’t support the wholesale mobilization,” El Capitan’s owner Marc Ravaris said. “The tactics are extreme and out of hand. Immigrants are good hard-working people who contribute to the economy and pay taxes.”

Ravaris has two SOS signs in his restaurant windows “to voice his disapproval of ICE overreach,” the news release states.

“Anything I can do to help, I’ll be here for the community,” Heimy Gonzalez Plata, owner of Cof&, said in the news release.

“The doors of my business are open to everyone – from here, from there, from wherever they may be from,” Gonzalez Plata said.

Each SOS sign has a QR code that links to “Know Your Rights” information from the No Kings website. The program also created signs for businesses to post in employee only areas, “warning immigration agents they cannot enter private spaces without a judicial warrant,” according to the news release.

According to an email from the program, more than 250 Whatcom County businesses have been asked to display the signs by program volunteers.