Alaska is home to 55,000 immigrants and refugees. President Trump’s immigration agenda of mass deportation is happening in Alaska, but like many things in our state, deportation and immigration enforcement looks different compared to the Lower 48. Still, the impact of the mass deportation agenda on our friends, family members, and neighbors is profound and is having rippling impacts across our communities.
Alaskans are detained out of state
Alaska does not have an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center, so when Alaskans are arrested by ICE, they are quickly sent out of state before they can post bond. Alaskans are usually held in-state for no more than 72 hours before they are sent to a detention center in the Lower 48; many people are sent to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. This makes accessing legal counsel and family support difficult while individuals continue their immigration claims.
We’ve heard many stories of Alaskans like Paola who have been detained by ICE in Alaska, sent to Tacoma to await a bond hearing, and are disconnected from family members who are still in Alaska.
Bond eligibility for Alaskans
For the many Alaskans detained by ICE and transferred to the Tacoma detention center, they must wait for what is called a bond hearing. An immigration bond hearing is a process where an immigration judge decides whether to set a monetary amount that, if paid, allows a detained individual to be released while awaiting their removal hearing. Individuals must proactively request a bond hearing; they are not scheduled as a matter of course.
Bond determinations are made based on whether a person is considered a flight risk or a danger to the community. An immigration judge would look at a person’s record of past appearances in immigration court; prior attempts to flee prosecution; community and family ties; length of residence in the U.S., employment status and financial resources, criminal history, and past conduct or history with drug and alcohol abuse.
When Alaskans who are bond-eligible are released, they must arrange and pay for their travel back to Alaska. If individuals are not granted bond or are ineligible for bond, they are held in detention while their removal proceedings are pending, which could take weeks, months, or even years to complete. Alaskans who go through the immigration process and are detained in the Lower 48 are faced with months and years of being separated from family and community while their immigration cases proceed.
The ACLU of Alaska is working with Alaskans to ask our Congressional Delegation to contact the U.S. Department of Justice Executive Office of Immigration Review to request that Alaskans who are detained by ICE get a bond hearing while still in Alaska to avoid transfer to a detention center in the Lower 48. Send a message to Senator Murkowski, Senator Sullivan, and Representative Begich here.
Our friends and family members are being detained, not just violent criminals
Across the country, we are seeing President Trump’s immigration regime cast a significantly wider net, targeting many more people than the violent criminals that candidate Trump vowed to deport. Instead, we are seeing people detained by ICE who are law-abiding and longstanding members of the community. Many have small businesses or consistent employment records, and strong family networks and community ties.
Nationally, less than 50% of nearly 112,000 arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from Jan. 20 through late June were of convicted criminals. Immigration attorneys have reported an increased push to arrest and detain immigrants for any type of violation or pending charge as the Trump Administration pushes for higher arrest and detention numbers to meet campaign promises. It is also likely that detained docket wait times for immigration hearings will increase due to the sudden surge of noncriminal immigrants in detention, resulting in an increased backlog.
Alaskans stand up for each other
We’re calling on Alaskans to stand up for our neighbors, friends, family members, and others who are being targeted by immigration enforcement officials and are facing unique detention circumstances due to our geography. Join us in sending a message to our elected leaders to request that Alaskans detained by ICE get bond hearings in Alaska. Want to organize more people in the community to support immigrants? Check out our partner packet with more resources and talking points for calling our elected officials in Washington, D.C.
Individuals, as well as health care providers, places of worship, schools, and immigrant and refugee serving organizations, all have a responsibility to ensure that Alaskans are protected from unfair actions by the government. Check out our resources here.
