TACOMA, Wash. — A Juanita High School employee has been released from the Northwest Detention Center after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nearly two weeks ago.
On Tuesday, an immigration judge granted a $10,000 bond for the release of 45-year-old Fernando Alves-Rocha.
“The fact that we have to do it in the first place is terrifying, but being able to do it is gratified. We are very thankful that we’re being able bring him home,” said Alan Bond, Assistant Business Agent with IATSE Local 15.
IATSE Local 15 represents Alves-Rocha, who is a theater manager at Juanita High School. He paid the $10,000 bond for his release using money raised from a GoFundMe.
“He’s passionate about theater. He’s passion about his work. And he’s just got a joy for living,” he said.
Bond told KIRO 7 he’d been in contact with Alves-Rocha almost every day since he was detained by ICE officers on July 18.
“He was pulled out of his vehicle by the ICE officers and thrown on the ground. He reported to me that someone stood on his back,” Bond explained.
According to ICE, Alves-Rocha overstayed his tourist visa and is wanted by Brazilian law enforcement for theft.
Alves-Rocha’s attorney, Adolfo Ojeda, told KIRO 7 they were not shown evidence of any crimes committed. He also explained that Alves-Rocha had been in the process of asylum since before his visa expired.
According to the American Immigration Council, ICE can detain asylum seekers:
While U.S. law provides arriving asylum seekers the right to remain in the United States while their claim for protection is pending, the government has argued that it has the right to detain such individuals, rather than release them into the community.
“It doesn’t matter if they have work authorization or if they’ve done everything right, ICE still has the right to detain them, and that is just ridiculous,” Bond added.
The Lake Washington School District told KIRO 7 their employment process comes with extensive background checks:
At Lake Washington School District, we take seriously our responsibility to ensure that every employee is legally authorized to work in the United States and meets all regulatory requirements before joining our team. As part of our comprehensive pre-employment process, our Human Resources team verifies each candidate’s identity and work eligibility through the federal I-9 process. We also validate Social Security card information to ensure it matches official records and process W-4 forms to document federal tax withholding elections.
Additionally, we conduct thorough background checks through fingerprinting and review state-mandated sexual misconduct disclosure forms. For certificated positions, we confirm that all required teaching credentials are current and on file. Anytime there is non-compliance, we take that opportunity to review our practices and procedures to ensure compliance. These steps are essential to maintaining a safe, compliant and professional environment for our students, staff and community.
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