FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT
Magaly Smith, media@weareoneamerica.org, 206-452-8403
Immigrant, Labor, and Civil Rights Advocates Call on Governor Bob Ferguson to Protect Washingtonians Private Data
Seattle, WA – Today, in a rally led by OneAmerica, a Washington state immigrant rights organization, immigrant, labor, and civil rights activists and elected officials called on Governor Bob Ferguson to use his executive power to stop the federal government from accessing our private data for immigration purposes. You can watch the Facebook livestream here.
On August 27, in an investigation by KING 5, Governor Bob Ferguson and Washington State’s Department of Licensing provided a statement confirming that private data of Washingtonians had been used by federal agencies to share information with ICE for the purposes of federal immigration enforcement.
“We’re here standing shoulder to shoulder because we believe in a Washington where we all belong. But right now, many Washingtonians are feeling alone and scared. We’ve seen evidence of ICE using our private data – licenses plates, names, addresses – to find our loved ones and upend our lives. Our public safety and our economy are at risk. And we can’t stand idly by and wait for things to escalate,” shared Roxana Norouzi, OneAmerica Executive Director. “Since taking office, we’ve heard Governor Ferguson and his administration say that immigrants belong here. We’re calling on him today to stand behind that promise. While Ferguson and his administration have taken some vital steps to stop ICE from accessing our data via DOL, our communities are counting on him to take more action.”
The groups, which included Washington State Labor Council, ACLU-WA, Community 2 Community, Latino Community Fund and Washington State Representative Osman Salahuddin LD 48, had a list of clear demands that included: taking immediate steps to require audits of all state agencies to determine what data is being shared and establish policies and procedures to immediately remove federal agencies, like DHS, from accessing any of our data; directing the legislature to pass additional guardrails and protections that strengthen Washington’s Welcoming State policy, Keep Washington Working, and limit how local and state agencies and law enforcement cooperate and share with federal immigration; and establish strong relationships with immigrant communities to rebuild trust and communicate steps that are being taken.
“Fear is not our future,” said Washington State Representative Osman Salahuddin. “I will always fight for our immigrant and refugee communities: to protect their data, to defend their rights, and to rebuild the trust that government must work for the people, not against them.”
“In line with his long history of defending working Washingtonians, labor calls on Governor Ferguson to use his executive power to protect immigrants in our state. Working people are all connected — through our workplaces, through the common issues we face on the job, and through our neighborhoods,” stated April Sims, Washington State Labor Council President. “The steps our Governor takes to defend immigrants will protect the safety and wellbeing of all working families in Washington.”
Stories from directly impacted immigrants were shared on their behalf due to fear of making a public appearance. A 60-year-old grandmother from Mexico shared, “Every time I step outside my heart pounds. I’m constantly looking over my shoulder, afraid that ICE will show up and take me away. The thought of what would happen to my family crushes me. My children, my grandchildren; they all depend on me. I can’t bear the thought of leaving them, of being separated from the people I love most. This country once offered so much, a chance for a better life, a chance to provide for my kids. Now, it feels like it’s taking everything away, leaving me with nothing but fear. Living like this isn’t a life at all. All I ever wanted was to give my family a better life and more opportunities. I never imagined it would come at such a high cost.”
OneAmerica Leader, Dawood, shared the story of his friend who is currently detained at the Northwest Detention Center, “My dear friend, an immigrant from Afghanistan, was rebuilding her life in Washington. But one day, while she was in my car, ICE officers pulled us over. When I asked if they had a warrant, they said no. Yet they still took her into custody. Today, she is being held in an immigration detention center in terrible conditions. She told me she is surviving by collecting discarded bread from the trash. This should not be happening. She came to this country for protection. Instead, her personal information was used to target and detain her.”
“We all deserve to move around our communities free from surveillance and the threat that data collected about us will be shared with government agencies, private companies, or any entity that could use that data to cause harm,” shared Tee Sannon the Technology Policy Program Director at ACLU-WA. “We need strong laws regulating the use of these technologies and accountability from our elected officials to ensure that Washingtonians are protected from the harms of surveillance.”
“We deserve leaders who defend our rights, protect our families, and uphold the values of dignity and justice for all, while demanding accountability from those in power,” shared Lucy Madrigal with Community 2 Community. “Our immigrant community has hope for our administration here in Washington, and I think it’s time to show us why we helped elect you.”
OneAmerica has called on community members to sign on in support of our demands via a petition and will continue to urge the Governor to act to protect all Washingtonians, no matter their immigration status.