ICE Raids in Washington State: Because Apparently, Farming Itself Is Now Illegal?

ICE Raids in Washington State: Because Apparently, Farming Itself Is Now Illegal?

Today, I was driving home from my second job (because, you know, the American Dream) when I heard something on NPR that made my blood run cold.

Not only have ICE agents been spotted in the greater Seattle area, but yesterday, in Whatcom County—aka Washington’s farming heartland—six arrests were made near the Canada border.

Now, let’s be real. We know who they’re targeting. Not criminals. Not drug lords. Not threats to national security.

Nope. They’re coming for the very people keeping this country fed.

Whatcom County is full of dairy farms, apple orchards, and raspberry fields—one of the biggest raspberry producers in the country. I used to work there, supervising young workers sorting through raspberries.

The blueberry fields? Entirely Latino workers.

The dairy farms? Predominantly Latino workers.

The apple orchards? You guessed it—migrant labor.

And guess what? These are some of the hardest-working, most down-to-earth people you’ll ever meet.

But instead of respecting them, instead of giving them real protections or pathways to citizenship, the U.S. has decided to treat them like criminals. Raiding farms like they’re drug cartels.

Meanwhile, let’s not forget—a certain demographic of people in this area who don’t like “outsiders” are watching this happen and feeling pretty damn proud of themselves.

So, yeah. Winter boots, indeed.