Members of the LWVBWC Immigrant Support Team met with Bellingham
Police Chief Rebecca Mertzig and Whatcom County Sheriff Donnell Tanksley
in May to discuss and better understand their stance on immigration enforcement and ICE activity within our community.
Whatcom County has seen increasing ICE activity, and currently stands out as a
as a hotspot with the second highest detention rate in the state (136 in 2025 per University of Washington Center for Human Rights). We can expect that as we get closer to the midterms, we may experience even greater activity than we
currently do.
Tom Homan, White House border czar, has recently stated that there will be
a new surge of enforcement, while calling for historic mass deportation, and targeting states with Keep Washington Working type policies. Each person detained leaves a family experiencing crisis and instability, especially the wives and children of the men who are detained and often deported. We frequently hear from local school staff and service providers who are struggling to support these families. Many families are living in fear and are traumatized by what is happening or could happen to them and their loved ones.
Read the full report
here.