Immigration Justice & Community Safety
RE:START Washington is committed to protecting immigrant communities and advancing safety, dignity, and justice for all—regardless of immigration status. We believe no one should live in fear simply for existing in their own neighborhood. Our work focuses on community education, rapid response, and grassroots organizing that empowers residents to protect themselves and one another in the face of harmful immigration enforcement.
In December, following a confirmed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehension near the New Holly neighborhood, RE:START Washington partnered with community-based organizations and grassroots leaders to take swift, collective action. A video circulating on social media showed unidentified immigration enforcement agents detaining a person along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, escalating fear and anxiety among nearby residents.
Within a week, community members organized a door-to-door outreach effort to ensure neighbors had accurate information and practical tools to respond to immigration enforcement. Volunteers shared Know Your Rights materials, safety resources, and information on how to remain silent, refuse entry without a valid judicial warrant, and contact local rapid-response networks.
Over 50 volunteers gathered at East African Community Services before canvassing several hundred homes across the neighborhood. In addition to educational flyers and posters, volunteers distributed whistles—part of a community-based safety strategy used in other cities to quickly alert neighbors when immigration enforcement activity is observed. These tools help draw public attention, discourage unlawful practices, and remind residents they are not alone.
Face-to-face outreach remains central to our organizing approach. Conversations at the door foster trust, strengthen relationships, and build collective power. Many residents shared that they were already coordinating with neighbors through group texts and informal networks—evidence of a community actively protecting itself.
As one organizer shared, fear is real—but so is solidarity. By showing up together, sharing knowledge, and building systems of care, community members are sending a clear message: our neighborhoods are places of belonging, not fear.
RE:START Washington will continue to support immigrant communities through education, organizing, and partnerships that uphold safety, human dignity, and collective liberation across Washington.
