SEATTLE — After his arrest by federal immigration officials last July, an undocumented immigrant who sought refuge in a Seattle church remains in detention.
Jose Robles made headlines when he took sanctuary inside Gethsemane Lutheran in downtown Seattle in 2018, defying a deportation order to Mexico. After a year, Robles, family, and supporters marched to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Tukwila to surrender himself.
He had hoped to be released with monitoring, but now another year later, he remains at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. His immigration attorney, Sandy Restrepo of Colectiva Legal del Pueblo, said he has had hearings on release, but was deemed a flight risk.
Robles believes he qualifies for a U visa, which is for victims of violent crimes. He was assaulted during a robbery, but Lakewood Police would not certify his application.
Eventually, the Pierce County attorney at the time approved the document so the application could proceed.
Robles was able to stay inside the church because of an ICE policy that directs agents to avoid "sensitive locations."
Pastor Joanne Engquist, of Gethsemane Lutheran, got to know Robles and his family while he lived there. She marched with them to ICE a year ago and produced this video looking back at their experience.
“I woke up this morning thinking what a difference a year makes,” she said. “And the hope that was in us a year ago as we walked with all those supporters.”
Engquist has been in touch with Robles during his detention, and the church has supplied funds for his commissary. She said he has been donating some of those funds to other detainees as well.
"For the first eight months, many of us would go down and visit and see him, at least keep spirits up for him and for us, as we could connect with those Plexiglas walls between us," Engquist said.
But the spread of the coronavirus has stopped those visits in recent months. She also keeps in touch with his wife and children.
“The experience of the family – there’s just a deep longing for being reunited,” Engquist said.
Restrepo said Robles is doing alright, though she noted his emotional state has suffered.
The Church Council of Greater Seattle rallied behind the Robles family, circulating a petition and organizing vigils for his release.
“We long for that day of release so we can say, 'We’re glad you’re back,'” Engquist said.
Robles previously said his immigration fight began after some traffic violations. He’s had several run-ins with the law in the past decade, Restrepo said, including two misdemeanor assault arrests in 2010, and another domestic situation of misdemeanor assault in 2013, though all those charges were dismissed.
He also pleaded guilty to reckless driving in 2015, she said.
“For my client, and most of my clients that do make mistakes, they learn from their mistakes and learn how to better deal with anger, domestic issues. It’s something that for them, so many people, they do deserve a chance to stay here,” Restrepo said. “They’ve established their lives here, and it’s something he’s grown from. He’s definitely made mistakes as many people do, but it isn’t something that his whole life here should be erased because of poor judgment.”
She said immigration officials will be able to consider those past records when ruling on his visa application.
She said all of his other legal options have been exhausted, so he remains in the country waiting for a decision from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on the U visa.
“His time in detention is dependent on the decision that USCIS can make, about the U visa,” Restrepo said. “So we are hoping they make the decision quickly.”
USCIS said in a statement that it does not comment on individual cases.