PORT ANGELES — More than 100 people called for an end to Border Patrol checkpoints and detentions of illegal immigrants during a protest march on Saturday.
Nearly 140 people gathered outside the Richard B. Anderson Federal Building on Front Street and marched to Rep. Norm Dicks’ office on 332 E. First St.
Most were from across the North Olympic Peninsula — Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks and Port Townsend — while others came from as far away as Seattle, and even Victoria, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Canada.
The demonstration was organized by a newly formed group, Stop the Checkpoints Committee, in response to a recent surge in the number of Border Patrol roadblocks on the Peninsula.
The group formed during a meeting organized by Lois Danks of Radical Women and attended by 30 people about two weeks ago.
“This is not the way our country is meant to be,” Danks told the crowd.
“We’ve got to stop the checkpoints.”
Border Patrol roadblocks on U.S. Highway 101 north of Forks and on state Highway 104 near the Hood Canal Bridge have netted 25 arrests — 15 for immigration violations and 10 for minor drug violations — since they began more than a month ago, Joe Guiliano, Border Patrol spokesman, told KOMO TV.
Michael Bermudez, Border Patrol spokesperson, has said the checkpoints are part of a larger effort to secure the borders by apprehending terrorists, detering illegal entries through enforcing immigration laws, and catching drug smugglers.
Danks described it as a “drive to criminalize immigrants.”
Port Townsend attorney Paul Richmond encouraged protesters to write to 6th Congressional representative Dicks, D-Belfair, and demand that the checkpoints to stop.
“Dicks is known for bringing home the bacon, and this is what we get,” said Richmond, who challenged Dicks in the primary election, but didn’t get enough votes to move on to the Nov. 4 general election.
Dicks is on the House Committee on Homeland Security.
Erick Schester of Port Townsend said everyone should be worried about the Border Patrol roadblocks.
“These checkpoints affect everyone across the board,” he said.
Schester, who was one of the organizers of the demonstration, said the committee will determine what to do next at its next meeting.
That will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Port Angeles Senior Center.
