Story by Patrick Scriven | Photos by Rev. Paul Jeffrey
TACOMA, Sept. 20, 2025 — On Saturday, over 200 United Methodists from across the Pacific Northwest gathered outside the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) to join La Resistencia and community allies in an action of solidarity with those detained inside. The gathering combined music, prayer, testimony, and communion with a peaceful and public call for the closure of the detention facility and the freedom of those held there.
The event opened with movement songs and chants, grounding participants in community and resistance. Rev. Drew Frisbie, pastor of Snohomish United Methodist Church (UMC), offered his musical gifts, contributing guitar and vocals. Organizers from La Resistencia welcomed the crowd, reminding them that the voices of those inside remain at the heart of the campaign to “Free Them All.”
Voices of witness
Rev. Shalom Agtarap, pastor at Tacoma First UMC and member of the SeaTac District Superintendency Team, challenged participants to see the detention center for what it is: “This structure gives wealth to its investors, but it deals death every single day—disconnection from family, from neighbors, from meaningful work. Once we see the Northwest Detention Center, we cannot act like we didn’t know.” Agtarap helped to guide participants through the event.
Miriam Safford, a US-2 Global Mission Fellow serving with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, shared their work in citizenship advocacy and read a letter from a detained man in Tacoma. They concluded, “Every single time, it is a person just trying to live and be. All that matters is that people are able to live and be.”
Deaconess Sophia Agtarap placed the moment within the long history of Methodist women working alongside immigrants: “Once you set foot in this space, you will not be the same. We urge United Methodists to welcome migrants, refugees, and immigrants into their congregations and to provide concrete support—beyond thoughts and prayers.”
Representing and joined by members of the Crossroads Social Justice Ministry at Beacon UMC, Nica Sy spoke about their role in the Filipino-led Tanggol Migrante Movement. Lifting up the stories of detainees like Izzy and Tita K, she declared, “We fight because we know that nothing can take away the dignity that God places in each of us. No king or empire can strip away the love and dignity that is placed in us by God.”
Rev. Ferdie Llenado, pastor at Fairwood Community UMC in Renton, Washington, and part of the SeaTac District Superintendency Team, prayed in Tagalog, leading participants in a moving intercession for migrants: “Lord, we pray with those treated as criminals in this detention center. May they not lose faith in Your justice, and may we stand with them in hope and strength.”
Joey Lopez, co-director of the Church Council of Greater Seattle and member of the General Board of Church and Society, spoke with urgency: “To do nothing to interrupt the violent kidnapping, detention, and deportation of our neighbors is to deny our core commandment to love our neighbor. To support policies that perpetuate their suffering is to betray Christ.”
Participants in the action offered their own reasons for attending. One attendee shared that he’d like to see the detention center shut down. Another described how a story of an immigrant in Olympia being arrested while attending a citizenship hearing motivated him. Several individuals spoke to the immorality of how detainees are treated during their arrests and captivity, concerns that were echoed in updates provided by La Resistencia.
Cathy Russell, a lay member at Fairwood Community UMC, shared that an individual the church had supported through their asylee ministry was now detained at the detention center. She shared, “He was given his freedom on July 29. He has not been released.”
Gathering at the table and a call to keep showing up
The action culminated in celebrating Holy Communion, presided over by Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth, resident bishop of the Greater Northwest Area. He was joined by other officiants serving the sacrament along the sidewalk in front of the detention center, transforming the site into a place of grace and blessing.
Even as participants joined in communion, it was somber as two buses arrived during the action, bringing new detainees to the facility. Larry Martin, a lay member at Sumner UMC, wrote after the event, “We celebrated communion knowing that there were people beyond the chain link fence and behind the windowless wall who were not allowed to celebrate with us.”
La Resistencia leaders closed with updates on current conditions inside NWDC and a call for continued solidarity. Caleb Encinas Cortés, pastor of community engagement at Federal Way UMC, invited participants to generously support the organization’s advocacy and accompaniment work. Throughout the event, he was busy with other volunteers and organizers caring for attendees, keeping them hydrated and safe.
As the event concluded, Bishop Bridgeforth offered a benediction, sending participants forth with renewed courage to continue the work of justice. He encouraged them to remember what they saw, heard, and felt. The bishop affirmed the calls to advocacy that people received and challenged all present to have integrity in their witness.
“Make sure you do all that stuff inside your church, too. Give your faith some integrity. Give your congregational witness some integrity. Don’t be out in the street demanding people do stuff you’re not doing at home. And if you need a permission slip to do that, here it is.”
As the crowd dispersed, the final words of encouragement echoed: The time is now. Shut down the Northwest Detention Center. Free them all.
About the Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church
The Pacific Northwest Conference is part of the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area, comprising 194 congregations across Washington and northern Idaho. Rooted in the teachings of Jesus and the Wesleyan tradition, the conference is committed to justice, compassion, and community. Learn more.
About La Resistencia
La Resistencia is a grassroots organization led by community members working to end detention and deportations in the Northwest by centering the voices of those directly impacted by the Northwest Detention Center. Learn more.
