Fear and determination as immigrants win small victory in Olympia

OLYMPIA, Wash. — In Olympia today, members of One America, the statewide immigrant rights organization met with Gov. Inslee. They are facing the Trump administration’s cancellation of the DACA program which protects undocumented immigrants brought here as children.

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An American citizen of Ethiopian heritage, Japesheth Seifu is afraid for his friends.

"There's people that I personally know that have had their families taken away from them and they are forced to hear them through a phone and stuff like that."

The governor was reassuring.

"I can tell you that the state of Washington always has been, is and will always be a place that welcomes the dreams and the dreamers in the state of Washington."

Inslee has stopped the Department of Licensing from giving ICE the information it collects from driver's licenses. Now he's hired a lawyer for his office to examine other databases ICE wants, including the information collected by license plate readers. 

"We want to fix this so it doesn't happen again and we're involved in a very, very deep dive right now looking at all those databases," said Inslee.

The group achieved one of its goals today. The House Judiciary committee voted to ask Congress to make DACA the law and freeze the deportations.

"It's not only about the fear of deportation. It really is these months of uncertainty. No knowing if our young people are going to be able to keep their jobs, not knowing if they are going to be able to stay with their families, said One America Deputy Director Roxana Norouzi.

Cox Media Group