Kent police officers delivered a 48-hour eviction notice Sunday afternoon to about 200 asylum-seekers mostly from Angola, Congo, and Venezuela, who set up camp in a field next to the Kent Econo Lodge hotel on June 1. If the refugees don’t leave by Tuesday at 3:17 pm, then they will be subject to arrest for trespassing.
According to a Monday Instagram post, the asylum-seekers plan to stay, and they asked community members to stand with them as they attempt to stop the sweep. Rosario Lopez, an advocate from Super Familia, said the migrants don’t have anywhere to go—except maybe the empty hotel that the county owns right next door.
“We are camping outside a hotel that could serve as an emergency shelter, but instead of opening the hotel they chose to call the police on hundreds of migrants,” Lopez said. “So they would rather send us to jail than to a shelter.”
Advocacy groups, including Super Familia King County, South King County Mutual Aid, Global Solidarity Network Seattle, Congolese Angolan Movement, and Comunidades Sin Fronteras, asked community supporters to call and email the members of the Kent City Council, Kent Mayor Dana Ralph, the members of the King County Council, King County Executive Dow Constantine, and others to demand they open the Econo Lodge as emergency shelter for the refugees for 90 days.
As the Seattle Times reported this morning, King County bought the Econo Lodge in 2020 and used the 85-unit facility as a COVID-19 quarantine site. Now it’s empty and seems like a natural fit for the 200 or so asylum-seekers. A press release from advocacy groups working with the asylum-seekers said that “[d]ue to King County and the City of Kent’s conveniently intractable bureaucratic disputes, the entire EconoLodge only is home to cars from a local dealership, and the state is sending police instead of services. A small change on the part of King County government and Kent City officials could rapidly ensure emergency housing for hundreds of people.”
Asylum-seekers and their allies asked King County to reopen the Econo Lodge back in April, too. At the time, King County Executive spokesperson Kristin Elia said, “No, the county does not have plans to reopen the hotel. The county is in continued conversations with the state and local jurisdictions on a long-term, statewide approach to provide support for asylum-seekers.”
The County, as of Monday afternoon, has not changed their mind. “…[W]e have a legal agreement with the City of Kent not to use this property for anything other than its original purpose, which was isolation and quarantine use. Therefore, we are abiding by our legal agreement,” Elia wrote. She also noted that the County was “the first government entity to resource short-term housing options, which included $3 million in funding to retain a service provider that has worked to house over 350 individuals and families. Additionally, $2 million in grant funding was awarded in April to support four nonprofits in their work to provide urgent housing and assistance.” They have exhausted all available funding at this point, Elia said.
This chaotic situation marks only the latest episode of instability and uncertainty for the 200 migrants. Local governments, including Seattle, Tukwila, Kent, and King County have played hot potato with this particular group for months. The refugees pitch tents, public pressure mounts, and a local government or private donor foots the bill for a few nights or weeks in a hotel, only for the cycle to repeat itself when the money dries up and they get kicked out. But localities maintain that a more permanent solution will come when the State releases $32 million for shelter and resources for migrants and asylum-seekers on July 1.
“Local governments, including Seattle, Tukwila, Kent, and King County have played hot potato with this particular group for months.”
Are they migrants, or asylum-seekers? Both? A mixture? If they seek asylum, then they’re a federal responsibility, not a state, county, or local one. If they’re migrants, then why do they keep bouncing around one of the most expensive housing markets in our country, one which is already tremendously overburdened with chronic homelessness? Can’t local mutual aid groups network across the country, and find someplace where these folks might actually have a chance at affording to live?
“Are they migrants, or asylum-seekers? Both? A mixture?”
They are asylum-seekers.
“If they’re migrants, then why do they keep bouncing around one of the most expensive housing markets in our country…?”
At some point in the past, as the Stranger recently reported on, officers from SPD encountered a family who wound up in Seattle following rumors of housing options and sent them to the Methodist church in Tukwila. The whisper network leapt into action and since then, the UMC has received a steady stream of people who have somehow heard “go to this church near Seattle and they will help you.” The UMC is overwhelmed and has had to move people out or close to new people several times.
“Can’t local mutual aid groups network across the country, and find someplace where these folks might actually have a chance at affording to live?”
The problem is that they all want to work to earn money, which would allow them to pay for their own housing. But the way the US works, they have to wait a certain number of months (six months? More?) to get permission to work while they wait for their asylum hearings, that could be months or years away. So they have no way to legally earn money to pay for housing, here, there, or anywhere.
If you think that’s absurd (I do!) call your federal legislators, but if we get any positive immigration reform passed that actually allows asylum seekers and other immigrants to be treated like human beings, it’s not going to be before the election, when That Guy and his followers are busy dehumanizing immigrants and calling them “animals” etc.
@1 And where would that be? Yes, big U.S. metro areas — all of them — are expensive places to live. There are no “cheap” ones anymore. But they’re also the places where migrants are most likely to find some kind of informal work, along with material aid, legal advocacy, and an atmosphere of relative tolerance, if not genuine welcome. So, big metro areas are where they tend to gather and it’s neither illogical or surprising that a sizable number end up here. It’s the place I’d choose if I were in their shoes.
@2: I agree we need immigration reform. If they’re seeking asylum, the federal government should move them to someplace they’re more likely to pay the rent, which is pretty much anywhere.
@3: Seattle has one of the most expensive housing markets in the country, there’s no need to house asylum-seekers in major cities, and Seattle/King County has been overburdened with homelessness for most of a decade. Seattle/King County is thus the perfect combination of places for asylum-seekers not to be.
In short, Seattle is a very bad place for these asylum-seekers to be, and for their own benefit, the US should move them somewhere else in the country. And the Stranger should stop pretending this is a problem to be solved locally.
Could someone put me in touch with that little boy’s stylist? TIA
…and when you build it, more will come. We started here with good intentions, the sanctuary city bit when Trump went hunting illegals. But no one thought through that the action would also encourage more to come here. Same with the poor tragic church that is so overwhelmed. By reaching into their networks and inviting these poor, poor folks, they opened the wacktivist floodgates. Suddenly they were overwhelmed as the network sent more folks than they ever intended.
In economics it’s called “perverse effects”.
We are a nation of immigrants and asylum seekers. I call BS on not being able to use the Econolodge. What’s it housing now? Air?
Native American culture was light years advanced in this regard when it comes to treating fellow human beings. What people believe in our so-called modern society to be important is petty and disgusting. You can’t take it with you but the NIMBY and billionaire powers that be are stupid enough to try.
@8: “I call BS on not being able to use the Econolodge.”
It’s more a matter of not luring persons to the Seattle area, where there is little to nothing for them. See @2, @6, and @7, above.
all students and underemployed Stranger readers should get this free money and donate to the Migrants! This is totally legit free $50!!! Free money from corporate american and recyle back to the local economy.
https://www.refundcheck.atg.wa.gov/form/claim/
Maybe The Stranger could hire some of these folks as interns?
Give them Charles Mudede’s job. I’m sure his salary could support a migrant family, and it’s not like his column could get any worse.
“The problem is that they all want to work to earn money, which would allow them to pay for their own housing. But the way the US works, they have to wait a certain number of months (six months? More?) to get permission to work”
The issue is most of them are not asylum seekers. They are not fleeing persecution in their home countries they are simply seeking better outcomes in the US which makes them undocumented immigrants. Unfortunately that also makes them line cutters who jumped ahead of other immigrants who are going through the legal channels to come here. If you actually follow the process you are able to work as you are granted a work visa. Coming to the US and expecting to cut in front of the thousands of others who want to come here while asking taxpayers to support you while you wait around for approvals shouldn’t be rewarded. If they don’t have a legitimate asylum case they should be sent home where they can wait in line to come here.
@12 (citation needed. Source: his own ass)