Who needs an Immigrant Resource Center if Bellingham is free of discrimination and its harms? / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the screenshot of a portion of a Bellingham City Council Agenda bill for their June 9, 2025 meeting to view the whole document on the COB website

June 8, 2025 Dena Jensen

Bellingham City Council is scheduled to consider a proposed resolution reaffirming the “City of Bellingham as a welcoming city” for all people on Monday, June 9, 2025. After the draft resolution recites a long list of COB measures that have been taken over the last few years that can help allow the City to incrementally become a more welcoming place for marginalized community members, the following statement in the operative section is included:

“BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of Bellingham is a welcoming city for all people to live, work, attend school, visit and play free of discrimination, violence and systemic barriers that threaten their safety, well-being and human rights;”

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That’s not a fact: one recital in the ordinance to suspend Bellingham’s Immigration Advisory Board / Noisy Waters Northwest

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March 22, 2024 Dena Jensen

We have passed the second month now that community members, who have been serving on Bellingham’s Immigration Advisory Board, have not been allowed to meet to continue their work to request and analyze data to determine compliance with the Keep Washington Working Act, along with facilitating community involvement and discussions on regional immigration issues. 

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Introduction – An imposition of indignity: the tale and trail of Bellingham’s immigration board suspension ordinance / Noisy Waters Northwest

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February 23, 2024 Dena Jensen
[This introduction was corrected with information on March 20, 2024. The corrected section is noted below within the relevant section of the introduction to this series. It is placed in brackets, in italics, with the date that the correction was made.]

It took less than one minute at the end of the Bellingham City Council’s February 12, 2024 regular meeting for Council Members’ final consideration of an ordinance to suspend the City’s Immigration Advisory Board. The ordinance was approved 6-1, with recently elected, first-term City Council Member Jace Cotton casting the only dissenting vote.

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Whatcom Democrats pass resolution to support city funded immigrant resource center / Press Release, Community to Community Development

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Over a dozen strings of multi-colored origami butterflies, created as part of the community-wide Migration Makes Us Stronger campaign, brighten the picture window of the ideal shop in downtown Bellingham. Photo Credit: C2C

September 30, 2022 Community to Community Development

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 09/30/2022 

WHATCOM DEMOCRATS PASS RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT CITY FUNDED IMMIGRANT RESOURCE CENTER 

As city council prepares to draft the 2023-2024 biennial budget, community demand for immigrant resource center grows 

On Saturday September 24th, The Whatcom Democrats voted 58-0 to pass a resolution encouraging the city of ellingham to fund an immigrant resource center. This comes as Mayor Fleetwood is preparing to propose a biennial budget to city council on October 24th, 2022. 

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Update on Ferndale ICE office deal with Boulos business / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the image of a 9/6/21 Facebook Dignity Vigil Event to access the C2C Dignity Vigils and Actions Facebook page where you can find details on past and current Dignity Vigils and more.

November 3, 2021 Dena Jensen

It’s been almost three months since I made a blog post about City of Ferndale permits being issued and/or processed for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office on the business property of Mahmoud Boulos in Ferndale. I have done some more research recently and have additional details to share about this office that is hiding in plain sight in Whatcom County, at 1380 and 1390 Commerce Place in Ferndale.

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Call to action for release of father apprehended by Homeland Security agents in Everson today / Noisy Waters Northwest

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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.

CUSTOMS AND BORDER PATROL OFFICES
Ferndale (360) 380-0408
Sumas (360) 988-5520
Lynden (360) 988-2971 Continue reading →

It looks like a workgroup on immigration will be moving forward for Bellingham City Council’s Justice Committee / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the graphic of a quote from Bellingham City Council Member April Barker at the 8/19/19 Council Meeting to hear her remarks at that meeting regarding a presentation on immigration issues by community members

August 20, 2019 Dena Jensen

Last night’s Bellingham City Council meeting provided a pretty good lesson in what white fragility does – and doesn’t – look like.  To the majority of the Council Member’s credit that night, most of them did not seem to exhibit “discomfort and defensiveness on the part of a white person when confronted by information about racial inequality and injustice,” which is the definition of white fragility offered by Oxford’s Lexico dictionary.  But a couple of them did. 

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Part 3: Notes on the 7/15/19 Bellingham City Council Justice Committee meeting regarding immigration – new meeting on 8/19/19 / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the graphic – of a screen shot of a YouTube video frame showing Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville in a purple shirt sitting in a chair in Council Chambers – to access the video of the 7/15/19 Justice Committee Meeting

August 16, 2019 Dena Jensen

This is the final installment of notes on the July 15, 2019 Bellingham City Council Justice Committee meeting regarding immigration issues. The next Justice Committee meeting will occur this Monday, August 19, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in Council chambers. Here is a link for the agenda for that meeting https://meetings.cob.org/Meetings/ViewMeeting?id=2059&doctype=1

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Satpal Sidhu’s responses to my questions about a sanctuary ordinance and farm workers on the Riveters Collective Ask Me Anything event / Dena Jensen

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July 27, 2019 Dena Jensen

One of the great election-related services that the Riveters Collective — which organizes and supports actions in Whatcom County and local communities — offers to our community, is their Ask Me Anything (AMA) events on Facebook, where members of their Facebook group can ask questions to find out what they want to know about candidates running for office during election season.

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Notes on the 7/15/19 Bellingham City Council Justice Committee meeting regarding immigration, Part One / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the graphic to access the YouTube video of the Bellingham City Council’s 7/15/19 Justice Committee meeting

July 21, 2019 Dena Jensen

Due to my own time constraints and a desire to get some information out about this as promptly as I can, I am going to provide my notes in installments, on this July 15, 2019 meeting where Bellingham City Council’s Justice Committee discussed work-plan items related to immigration.

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