Hundreds march in support of immigrant rights in downtown Olympia Saturday evening

About 300 people, including members of local faith communities and dozens of other residents, both white and people of color, marched through downtown Olympia early Saturday evening in support of immigrants and immigrant rights.

They began gathering at Temple Beth Hatfiloh shortly before 6:30 p.m., then marched west on Eighth Avenue, continued north on Capitol Way, turned left onto Olympia Avenue, then stopped and gathered again at Percival Landing Park near the city’s waterfront.

The “walk for immigrant justice” as it was termed was organized by the Faith Network for Immigrant Support, which includes a number of Olympia area faith groups, including Temple Beth Hatfiloh and St. John/San Juan Episcopal Church.

As they walked through downtown, some held signs that said, “Stop ICE raids,” “Our communities deserve decency,” “No more deportations,” and “ICE is Inhumane.”

The reference to “ICE” refers to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement branch of the federal government, which under the Trump Administration, has become controversial for its process of detaining and deporting immigrants. Some say sufficient due process is not being exercised in those incidents.

Before hundreds of people embarked on the march Saturday, Temple Beth Hatfiloh’s Rabbi Seth Goldstein addressed the crowd.

“I am here, as I know many of you are, because our spiritual teachings and our values compel us to be here because we know that the commandment to love your neighbor knows no borders, and the commandment to welcome a stranger is stronger than walls,” he said.

“So let us say loud and clear to those who are in fear, who feel targeted, to those who feel othered, who are hidden by force or hiding for safety: We will not remain indifferent,” Goldstein said. “We see you. We are with you, and we will protect you, and we say to those who seek to do harm, who promote policies of xenophobia and hate and intimidation and to implement these policies and carry out these arrests, you will not succeed. You will not succeed.”

Resident Lori Doron was among the many who gathered outside the temple before the march began.

“Why do I want to be here? Well, because we’re all immigrants, and we need each other, and there’s certainly no reason to perpetuate this superstition of separation,” she said.

More immigrants detained

Some carried signs of support for Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry, an area resident and Army veteran detained by ICE on Thursday during a citizenship interview, according to several media reports, including KING 5 News.

“ICE records show Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry, who emigrated from Pakistan and has lived in the United States for 25 years, was taken into custody at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma,” KING 5 reported.

Chaudhry is a member of the Olympia chapter of Veterans for Peace, according to the report.

Olympia City Councilman Clark Gilman, who attended Saturday’s event, cited Chaudhry’s case as another reason to be there.

“For me, tonight’s walk for immigrant justice and prayer vigil is especially important as we have an active member of our own community detained the night before last at the detention center,” he said.

Janet Waggoner, lead pastor and evangelist at St. John/ San Juan Episcopal Church in Olympia, spoke in support of another area man named Fernando Rangel Saucedo, who she said has been in detention since early June.

“He’s somebody who’s been in this country, a faithful husband and father and lead construction worker for 20 years,” she said. “And so we are just hoping that he can continue to parent his daughter, who is a U.S. citizen.”

“It’s important for me to be here because we have a community of love and acceptance, a community that seeks freedom and justice for all, and I am here with many members of our congregation, not only Spanish-speaking and English-speaking, but also we have members who are descendants of folks from Africa and Asia, and so we stand together for love and peace,” Waggoner said.

Originally from El Salvador

Mabel Thackeray, who took part in the march, came to this country from El Salvador when she was 18. Today she is a licensed mental health professional who works for North Thurston Public Schools.

“I belong to many organizations, and my goal is to show and humanize who we are and what we contribute to society,” she said.

The new school year is about to begin, she added, and although students of color are excited to return to school, there’s also some fear, she said.

“Now more than ever we need to create that safe space for them,” Thackeray said.

At Percival Landing Park, a number of people spoke, including Kathy Baros Friedt, a member of the Hispanic Roundtable. She, too, expressed her concern about Chaudhry’s detention.

“Many of you know him,” she said. “While being compliant with his (citizenship) hearing date, he was abducted and taken immediately to the detention center, with no notice to his wife and two children and supporters that were waiting for him.”

Friedt added: “You are not walking alone in this fight.”

This story was originally published August 23, 2025 at 8:57 PM.