Protesters respond in Kent to ICE arrest in store parking lot

Published 3:30 pm Friday, June 19, 2026

Protesters lined up recently along 104th Avenue SE in Kent after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a 29-year-old Mexican man at the nearby Saars Super Saver Foods parking lot.

“This morning (June 14) about 25 people from Indivisible Kent and Indivisible Covington gathered on the sidewalks along 104th in Kent with signs geared to inform the public that on Saturday, June 13 ICE abducted one person from the Saars parking lot,” said Connie Compton, part of the leadership team with Indivisible Covington, in a email to the Kent Reporter. “We took this action because many of us are very concerned that the presence of ICE in our community is rising.”

A spokesperson for ICE confirmed in a email to the Kent Reporter that agents arrested Filogonio Rojas-Vasquez, 29, of Mexico, June 13 in Kent. Saars is at 25928 104th Ave. SE.

“He entered the United States illegally at least four times in 2023 and was returned four times to Mexico,” according to a spokesperson. “He entered the United States a fifth time at an unknown date, time and location.”

Rojas-Vasquez also was arrested in June 2025 by the Burien Police for driving under the influence, according to a spokesperson for ICE. Rojas-Vasquez is at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma pending return to Mexico.

Protesters disagreed with the arrest.

“We believe that it is important that the members of our community know what is happening in our community,” Compton said. “If kidnappings continue to occur, we plan to have additional pop up protests such as this.”

Compton said there has been numerous confirmed abductions this year in South King County and Pierce County, listing 12 in March, 29 in April, 57 in May and 43 so far in June. She said the numbers were provided to Indivisible Covington by individuals who work to protect our neighbors.

“To protect them, we do not name them,” Compton said. “They were at the scene when it happened.”

Federal immigration authorities arrested over 2,100 people in Washington between October 2025 and early March 2026, according to a Washington State Standard report earlier this year.

“This marks an intensification in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the state,” according to the article. The total arrests equate to about 13 a day during the five-month period. They also account for over half of the more than 3,800 immigration arrests in Washington since Trump took office. Not everyone who is arrested ends up being deported.

“As a comparison, during 14 months when Joe Biden was president, from mid-January 2023 to early March 2024, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested about 2,200 in Washington, the data shows. And in the period from October 2024 to early March 2025, under both Biden and Trump, ICE arrested fewer than 400 people here (in Washington state).”

A ICE spokesperson said they encourage illegals to take control of their departure with the CBP home app.

“The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now,” according to the statement. “We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”

Indivisible leaders respond

When asked by the Kent Reporter for their reaction to the actions and comments by ICE, members of the leadership teams of Indivisible Covington and Indivisible Kent collaborated to write the following statement:

“Since March, there have been over 140 abductions of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and neighbors in South King County and Pierce County,” according to Indivisible Covington and Indivisible Kent. “The pace of these actions has accelerated dramatically—from approximately 15 abductions in March to more than 45 in just the first half of June.

“Several agents wearing masks, in violation of Washington state law (SB 5855), aggressively—and at times violently—descend upon a single individual. ICE is not targeting criminals, as documented in its own data showing that 71% to 73% of people in detention have no criminal convictions.

“ICE is taking fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, and sole providers—hard-working, law-abiding people who are simply trying to keep their families safe, provide for their children, and build a better life. The devastation these actions have on spouses, children, and extended families is beyond heartbreaking. Our neighbors are being taken on their way to work, leaving vehicles abandoned and households without an income. Entire communities are living in fear and trauma.

“These individuals are sometimes transported to countries where they have no family or support. Others are taken directly to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, where reports describe inadequate medical care, too few blankets, filthy bathrooms, and maggots in the food. There have also been allegations of physical and sexual abuse.”

Northwest Ice Processing Center had 1,289 people detained as of April 4, 2026, according to tracreports.org. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) is a data gathering, data research and data distribution organization that was founded in 1989 at Syracuse University in New York.

Indivisible Covington and Kent leaders said that while Washington passed a law allowing the state Department of Health to conduct unannounced inspections at private detention facilities, the reported conditions have been so severe that Washington state officials are suing the GEO Group to compel health inspectors’ access to the Northwest ICE Processing Center.

A federal jury also found that the GEO Group violated Washington’s minimum wage laws by paying detained workers just $1 per day to perform maintenance and janitorial work, according to Indivisible Covington.

“This constitutional and humanitarian crisis must end,” according to Indivisible Covington and Kent. “We at Indivisible Covington and Indivisible Kent will continue to report these abuses of power and speak up when we witness injustice and violence by ICE against our neighbors.”

Compton, one of the leaders of Indivisible Covington, said the group supports its neighbors.

“We believe that the strongest communities are built by knowing our neighbors and showing up for one another,” Compton said.

Cara Haney, of the Indivisible Kent leadership team, agreed and added even more support is needed.

“But belief alone is not enough,” Haney said. “We are committed to standing beside immigrant families, defending the constitutional and human rights of everyone in our community and speaking out when those rights are violated.”

National stats

• 60,311 in detention nationwide as of April 4, 2026

• 42,722 (70.8%) of detainees have no criminal convictions

• 17,908 most detainees of any state (Texas)

• 32,531 booked into ICE detention in March 2026

Provided by tracreports.org