Public asking for latest on local immigration situation

Volunteers for Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest have been busy since controversy arose over the Trump administration’s immigration policies — and not just with released detainees.

In the anxiety after the election, requests for the nonprofit to give lectures to the community have “at least tripled,” said Peggy Herman, the AID NW treasurer.

Since the election, Herman said, churches and universities, including the University of Puget Sound and Pierce College, have invited the nonprofit to panel discussions on immigration.

Former President Barack Obama broke records for deportations, which raised concerrns mainly of activists, Herman said, but now the general public wants to become more aware of immigration issues.

“The Trump administration brought more focus on the issue,” she said. “There’s far more fear and trepidation.”

About seven people a day are released from the detention center on the Tacoma Tideflats.

Those without family to pick them up or who need help getting to their destination rely on the AID NW welcome center, Herman said.

The center — an RV parked outside the detention center — opened in 2015 and is staffed from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays.

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 7:02 AM with the headline "Public asking for latest on local immigration situation."