SEATTLE — Thousands of people across the Puget Sound joined a nationwide protest Friday against federal immigration policies.
The demonstrations included a large gathering outside the federal building in Seattle and student walkouts, including students from Kentlake High School who protested in Black Diamond.
The protests were just one part of a national demonstration that also urged people to refrain from working, attending school and spending money Friday. The goal was to send a message pushing back against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Demonstrations have grown across the country following two deadly shootings of individuals by ICE agents in Minneapolis earlier this month.
“The louder we are, the more we have to force them to hear us,” said Jaydah Jackson-Cloy, a student who joined the walkout at Kentlake High School. “We’re the future of this country. We’re kids. We’re rising up to be adults, especially being in high school. So we need to make sure that our voices are heard.”
In response to nationwide protests, a statement Friday morning, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told KIRO 7 that the First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly, not rioting and destruction.
“ICE officers are facing a nearly 1,300% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, and gang members,” wrote DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Law and order will prevail.”
As more people join protests nationwide, KIRO 7 spoke to an attorney about what protestors can and cannot do legally.
“There are the broadest protections for protest rights in traditional public spaces, so in front of a courthouse, in a park,” said David Montes, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Washington.
To block traffic or pedestrian access, you’ll need a permit.
Montes said permits cannot be denied on the basis of what you’re protesting, but can be denied due to logistical issues with time or location.
Montes also said it’s important to remember illegal activities, while protesting, are still illegal — like vandalism.
Recording, he said, is protected in most cases.
“First Amendment protects recording in public as a general rule,” he said. “Neither ICE nor other police can force you to delete anything on your phone or show them anything that you’ve recorded on your phone.”
Since Washington is a two-party consent state, you will need consent to record a private conversation. However, Montes said a public protest would not likely be considered private.
If you’re an immigrant worried about your status, Montes said there are rights you should be aware of too.
“The Constitution applies to all people in the United States,” he said. “So the Fourth Amendment, which protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures, applies to every person in the United States, not just citizens, not just people with documented status here.”
Montes said judges have consistently ruled that a warrant is required before ICE is allowed to enter a home.
Montes also mentioned immigrants also have rights guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment too, which gives people the right to refuse to speak with law enforcement, including immigration enforcement officers.
If you want to help immigrants, there are things you can and can’t do.
“There is a federal harboring statute that says you cannot interfere with the detention of someone who doesn’t have status in the United States,” Montes said.
For example, you wouldn’t legally be able to sneak someone out of a back door if you saw immigration agents coming, Montes said.
“What is not harboring is renting a room to someone who doesn’t have status,” he said. “Giving a ride to work to someone who doesn’t have status. Any of those types of activities, because those activities are just have nothing to do with status, you’re not intentionally impeding anything.”
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