TUKWILA, Wash. — Hundreds of migrant families are sleeping in a camp outside of a Tukwila church. Two weeks ago, the City of Tukwila issued an emergency declaration to get the families assistance, but since then the number of people staying there has kept increasing.
When the emergency was declared, 180 migrants lived at the camp. That number has now grown to over 300 people. Most of the people arrived over the southern border and are originally from Venezuela and Angola.
“We're seeing a steady flow of families coming in,” said Jan Bolerjack, the pastor of Riverton Park United Methodist Church. “There's no housing in the region for them to go to, so they end up staying in tents here. These are all asylum seekers.”
Pastor Bolerjack said the families are staying as they seek asylum status and wait on the immigration system. The past two weeks, the church has seen 10 new people arrive each day.
“It has just grown from there, going from five or six families last December or January, to about 100 in March, and then up to 300 now,” said Bolerjack.
The City of Tukwila declared an emergency two weeks ago in response to the growing number of people seeking asylum.
But Bolerjack said government response takes time, and as they wait, community groups have been filling the gaps.
“We've been overwhelmed with donations of both cold weather, clothing, hats, gloves, boots,” said Bolerjack.
A group of Pacific Northwest women with Medical Teams International came to help on Saturday handing out hand warmers, medicine, and hygiene supplies.
Rachel Wolverton, who is with Medical Teams International, said it is heartbreaking to see families in this situation.
“I've never seen a camp like this," said Wolverton. “I have overseas, but I've never seen a camp like this here in the Northwest.”
As Wolverton and her group dropped off donation, government leaders said they are actively working to find solutions.
"Yes, we have to work on dealing with the problem once the migrants are here. We also have to work with those countries to try to reduce the problems there," said Rep. Adam Smith. "Now, one thing that I think we also should do is finally pass comprehensive immigration reform. You know, get these people to work a little bit quicker, give them the afternoon jobs so they can become more self-sufficient and help pay for themselves as they get here. And we also do need security on the border. We do. I'm in favor of more security on the border, we should not have open borders. We should have greater regulation as to who comes into this country."
“As government agencies, we have been trying really hard to have a coordinated response,” said Hamdi Mohamed, who is the director of the City of Seattle Office of Immigration and Refugee Services.
Mohamed was at the camp on Saturday and has visited several times in recent weeks. She said several city and county leaders came to see the camp earlier in the day and that a task force of state, county, and city agencies are now looking at ways to find people at the camp housing, legal assistance, and jobs.
She said they are focusing on the immediate needs first, and then on the longer-term needs. Although the camp is in Tukwila, she said Seattle leaders are involved because she said it is a regional issue that is a challenge to address.
“It’s growing at a rapid pace, where people are trying to respond, but it is growing a lot faster than our response,” said Mohamed.
As more and more people arrive at the church, Pastor Bolerjack said she hopes the families can move on to somewhere more stable. Until then, she said, the church will always welcome new people searching for help and hope.
“These are human beings,” said Pastor Bolerjack. “They are resilient human beings, and this is a humanitarian crisis.”
Mohamed said a group they are partnering with has already moved 10 families who were the most vulnerable to a nearby hotel.