January 24, 2020  Dena Jensen’

This morning Community to Community Development issued the following call to action on their Facebook page:

**ACTION ALERT***
Around 8 am this morning a family was pulled over by ICE in Everson on their way to take their children to daycare. We know that at this time at least the man is in custody, but it is unknown where in Whatcom County he is being held. We are asking all of our supporters to make calls to Customs and Border Patrol to demand the release of this father and community member. Please call all three numbers and let them know that it is unacceptable to apprehend and detain members of our community.

Responding to this call to action, I called the number for Ferndale Customs and Border Patrol (360-380-0408) and spoke with a woman who told me to call ICE regarding the deplorable incident involving a father transporting his children to daycare who was reportedly pursued, harrassed, and apprehended in Everson, referenced in C2C’s post. The woman at Ferndale CBP said the gentleman was not apprehended by Customs and Border Protection agents and believed it likely that he was apprehended by ICE. When I specifically asked if the gentleman was in custody at the Ferndale facility, she said that he was not.

I called Sumas/Lynden (360) 988-5520 where I spoke with Agent Cunningham where he said he could offer no information about the incident.

I encourage folks to call all the numbers provided by C2C in their post, along with the number for ICE I am providing in my post. All agencies should be made aware that this removal of a community member is not acceptable to any of us.

I called the number the agent at Ferndale gave me for ICE. It is the public affairs number, 425-282-7362. I left a full message for Tania J. Roman along with my phone number. I called for the gentleman to be released, said I was aware that he and his family had been harassed and their property assaulted, and declared that this was not acceptable, nor is his removal from our community or his family members and repeated I was calling for his release.

I told CBP locations that I wanted them to be aware of this incident and that people witnessed that the family was harassed and their property abused, and that it is furthermore unacceptable for this community member to be removed from his community and family.

Here are two videos posted by C2C from the location of the Ferndale, Customs and Border Protection immigrant holding facility, at 1431 Sunset Drive in Ferndale, where you can go to join their voices in speaking out against this outrageous attack against an agricultural worker and member of our community. Click the graphics to access either of the videos on Facebook:

 

Update Friday 1/24/20 at 3:00 p.m.:

If you did not get a lot of details earlier about the abhorrent incident, here are more in Community to Community’s attached post, keep calling, and/or show up to 1431 Sunset Ave. in Ferndale to speak out at the doorstep of Customs and Border Patrol there against this atrocity that reflects horribly on all of us in our nation.  https://www.facebook.com/Community2Community/photos/a.172074779489252/3239115042785195/

Here are the phone numbers to call from another post made under an hour ago from C2C:

“KEEP CALLING! ICE is lying when they say you are calling the wrong place – Madardo’s wife saw him and spoke to him – he is at the Ferndale faciliy

CALL ALL OF THESE NUMBERS:

Ferndale (360) 380-0408 Sumas (360) 988-5520 Lynden (360) 988-2971

additionally call these ICE office numbers: 425-282-7362

206-835-0094

NEEDED: A courageous civil rights attorney to file lawsuit and/or an injunction against CBP to stop this kind of behavior”