EVENTS

Please Join Us - October 1st!: NWIRP's 26th Anniversary Celebration happens 10.01.10! We hope you'll join us for this wonderful annual celebration! Learn more.

ANNOUNCEMENTS / NEWS

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project & Partners File First Class-Action Lawsuit On Behalf of Immigrants with Mental Disabilities: The nation’s first class action lawsuit on behalf of immigrant detainees with severe mental disabilities – detainees who are left defenseless in a system they cannot comprehend -- was filed late Monday by a coalition of legal organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, Public Counsel, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, the American Civil Liberties Union’s Immigrants Rights Project, the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial County, and Mental Health Advocacy Services. The suit asks a federal district court in Los Angeles to order the U.S. government to create a system for determining which non-citizens lack the mental competence to represent themselves and to appoint legal representation for those who are unable to defend themselves. Unlike the criminal court system – where appointed counsel is part of due process -- immigration courts and detention facilities have no safeguards for ensuring that the rights of people with serious mental disabilities are protected. Two plaintiffs in the suit were the subject of habeas petitions before federal courts in California last March. Read the press release.

Franken, Kohl Introduce HELP Separated Children Act: Legislation would ensure children's safety during immigration raids. More than 108,000 parents of USCitizen children were deported over the last 10 years, with children often left behind to fend for themselves. Read the announcement here...

Seeking asylum, dozens of Somalis wait in Tacoma: Read this article about the more than 80 Somali refugees detained in Tacoma's Detention Center right now, counting on NWIRP for assistance.... Click here to see the Seattle P.I. article.

NWIRP Praises WA Supreme Court Decision Protecting Integrity of the Court System: NWIRP joined LBAW, Legal Voice, NELP and the ACLU in praising a Washington State Supreme Court decision protecting the integrity of the court system in Salas v. Hi-Tech Erectors. The court held that the trial court had erred in allowing the admission of evidence of a plaintiff's immigration status during a civil case. Click here to read the press release...

NWIRP client and Executive Director featured on NPR's Weekend Edition: The story follows NWIRP client, Ernesto Gamboa, and his attorney, Jorge L. Barón, also NWIRP's Executive Director as part of a series on confidential informants. To listen or read the transcript, click here.

Judge won't dismiss suit over US citizen detention: Read The Washington Post article here.

Seattle organizations, including NWIRP, ready to aid Haitians stay in U.S.: Read the Seattle Times article here.