Blaine Border Patrol agents helped the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) bureau arrest six undocumented people in Whatcom and Skagit counties Sunday, according to a social media post by the Blaine agency.
Agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations also participated, the post stated. It added the six arrests happened in Ferndale, Everson, Burlington and Maple Falls, and the detainees were from Mexico, India and Guatemala.
Jason Givens, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, wrote in an email the arrests were the result of “a targeted enforcement operation. All the individuals arrested were deemed public safety risks with final orders of removal.”
The arrests come as federal agencies have ratcheted up immigration enforcement in the wake of President Donald Trump’s inauguration last week. The new president’s administration has taken a barrage of measures to curb illegal immigration, including doing away with a Biden administration directive to avoid immigration enforcement in “protected areas,” like schools and churches.
White House officials have given ICE arrest “quotas” of 1,200 to 1,500 per day, the Washington Post reported.
Last week, Whatcom County Sheriff Donnell Tanksley announced his office will not participate in immigration enforcement.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Sophia Gates covers rural Whatcom and Skagit counties. She is a Washington State Murrow Fellow whose work is underwritten by taxpayers and available outside CDN's paywall. Reach her at sophiagates@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 131.
