UWCHR’s Research Coordinator Phil Neff sits down with Andrea Marcos, reflecting on his time as he prepares to depart after thirteen years at the Center for Human Rights. In July 2026, Phil will move on to a new role as Senior Research Analyst with the Deportation Data Project. Andrea Marcos: Phil! It’s so sad to

On Thursday, May 14, we hosted our 2026 Spring Symposium featuring UWCHR’s Immigrant Rights Observatory research on Pacific Northwest immigration enforcement trends and how communities are responding to today’s heightened enforcement and changing tactics. We heard from an excellent panel of advocates from across Washington and Oregon including: Alyssa Walker Keller, Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition

ProPublica | Lisa Song, Maya Miller and Melissa Sanchez, with research reporting by Mariam Elba: “Kids Are Being Harmed by Tear Gas, Pepper Spray Under Trump. There Could Be Long-Term Consequences” cites UWCHR’s research on immigration enforcement trends nationwide. Read the full article →

Seattle Times | Editorial Board: “WA immigration detention center must be inspected for safety, justice” cites UWCHR’s research on human rights conditions at the Northwest ICE Processing Center. Read the full article →

Seattle Times | Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks: “WA ICE facility, rife with abuses, now under lower standards, UW report shows” cites UWCHR’s research on human rights conditions at the Northwest ICE Processing Center. Read the full article →

On March 18, 2026, Professor Angel Gabriel Cabrera Silva, University of Washington Center for Human Rights faculty associate and Assistant Professor of International Law at the University of Washington Tacoma, appeared before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to argue in favor of recognizing democracy as a human right with political, social, and economic dimensions.

Latino Herald | Marines Scaramazza: “Condado Yakima registró el mayor aumento de operativos migratorios en WA” cites UWCHR’s research on immigration enforcement trends in the Pacific Northwest. Read the full article →

At a time when immigration enforcement is both more visible and more secretive than ever before, UWCHR is publishing a new dataset released to us as part of settlement negotiations in ongoing FOIA litigation against DHS. This data, drawn from I-213 forms[1] produced by ICE during 2022 through 2025 in the agency’s Seattle Area of

Executive summary Today, immigrant Washingtonians are increasingly afraid to drive, as our streets, highways, and public thoroughfares have become frequent sites for immigration enforcement. These incidents, in which drivers are typically apprehended by masked, unidentified agents driving unmarked vehicles, raise multiple human rights concerns: many arrests appear to have been warrantless,[1] some have been violent,[2]

Range Media, The POD Podcast: “Diving Back Into Flock” features UWCHR’s Phil Neff speaking to research on Flock surveillance systems exposing Washington state data to immigration enforcement agencies. Listen to the podcast episode →