UPDATED JULY 24 at 11:30am (PST).
(LYNDEN, WA) Racial Unity Now (RUN) is urgently calling the community’s attention to a troubling escalation in immigration enforcement uniquely concentrated in Lynden and the surrounding Whatcom County area. This alert centers on our first known “Soft Raid,” resulting in the mass detention of an estimated 50 workers from a single employer. RUN believes that between March and July, DHS agents detained and deported more than 50 Premier Packing of Lynden employees through targeted commuter intercepts. This is according to data collected by local partners, RUN, and corroborated by interviews with Premier ownership and employees; the most recent arrests occurred yesterday evening, Wednesday, July 22.
This localized enforcement surge radically exceeds national enforcement averages. The human toll exceeds the fallout from the 2025 Mt. Baker Roofing raid, which left over 100 dependents, particularly children, in our community in a state of extreme vulnerability.
To bypass the judicial search warrants required to enter private property, DHS agents repeatedly execute these operations on public roads. Recently, they had hidden outside of the facility, waiting for employees to cross the street and take cold water being offered by a service group, according to video footage reviewed by RUN.
Agents track employee commutes, stage traffic stops, and intercept staff along key workplace routes, particularly on paydays. While conducted on public thoroughfares, the intent and result are identical to traditional workplace raids: the systematic, mass detention of a business’s core workforce.
This Lynden-focused, hyper-targeted enforcement wave carries severe consequences for the region:
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Humanitarian: Dependents, including many U.S.-citizen children, face sudden trauma, housing instability, and severe financial hardship.
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Economic: The aggressive, localized focus on arrests exclusively in Lynden and the surrounding area guts our critical labor pool and has worsened the localized recession impacting many industries.
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Public Safety: Executing cavalier traffic stops and detentions along busy thoroughfares creates hazardous driving conditions for all motorists.
Local leaders and community members must recognize the devastating impact these escalating tactics have on Whatcom County’s civic health: harming families, safety, and economic wellbeing. Employers should clearly mark private property and educate vulnerable workers about their rights. Additionally, we call for elected representatives to take further action to protect vulnerable immigrants in the community.
Corroborating documentation, media and background verification resources will be available to the media upon request.
On Behalf of Racial Unity Now,
Jeremy Dorrough
Executive Director
Racial Unity Now
racialunitynow.org
July 24, 2026 Updates
(LYNDEN, WA) Racial Unity Now (RUN) is issuing two critical updates regarding our recent community alert on the ongoing “Soft Raid” enforcement operation in Lynden, Washington.
Ongoing updates and corrections to this community alert will be maintained and available at: racialunitynow.org/soft-raid,
1. NEW ENFORCEMENT ACTION (July 23, 2026)
At least two additional Premier Packing employees were detained yesterday evening, Thursday, July 23, on a service road behind the Safeway grocery store in Lynden, Washington. This is a the same location as a previous Premier Packing employee detention that occurred earlier this week.
The media document is being updated to reflect these latest detentions.
2. CORRECTION & CLARIFICATION
RUN is issuing a correction regarding the specific circumstances under which employees were intercepted off company property.
- Initial Alert: Based on initial employee and owner testimony, RUN stated that DHS agents “lured employees off company property by appearing to pose as Christian service groups offering water on a hot work day.”
- Verified Fact: Following independent verification, RUN identified and interviewed those distributing water. RUN has confirmed that DHS agents hid near the facility waiting for employees to step off company property. The volunteers offering cold water across the street were staff from a local restaurant (church attendees known to the workers). These volunteers stated they were not cooperating with DHS, were not consenting parties to the operation, and were entirely unaware of the agents’ presence. While DHS is not believed to have impersonated the volunteers, agents deliberately exploited this local charitable effort to ambush workers as they crossed the street.
MEDIA & BACKGROUND NOTES
Corroborating documentation, background verification, and connections to local partners, experts, and community advocates remain available to the media upon request.