Fernando Alves-Rocha was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after allegedly overstaying his tourist visa. He had applied for asylum after his visa expired, even though he reportedly had a valid work visa. ICE had been pursuing him over theft charges in Brazil, but his detention has caused concern in the community because he works for the Lake Washington School District.
Alves-Rocha spent almost two weeks in custody before immigration Judge Tammy Fitting approved a $10,000 bond. The bond was paid with funds raised by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 15 through a GoFundMe campaign.
The Lake Washington School District said, “We are aware that one of our employees appears to have been detained by ICE. We have been in contact with the employee to provide appropriate employment documentation. Due to privacy considerations, we are limited in what we can share, but we are monitoring the situation closely.”
Attorney Adolfo Ojeda said, “He’s definitely in shock.” He added, “In his initial paperwork from the government, it says that they arrested him because he overstayed his initial visa, which is factually correct. But if somebody would have itemized his name on that list, they would have seen ‘Ah, but he’s got a valid asylum application pending, and he’s got a work permit, so he’s technically fine.’”
ICE reported that Alves-Rocha is wanted in Brazil. Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-WA) expressed concern about due process amid increased enforcement.
Dhingra said, “We wanted to make sure we are protecting people’s due process rights. Given what is happening nationally about people with legal status basically being taken off our streets by masked individuals, I wanted to make sure he was connected to the right resources.”
Rep. Suzan DelBene’s office is following the case and working with Alves-Rocha’s attorney and the school district. DelBene said, “DelBene is aware of the arrest of Fernando Rocha by ICE earlier this week. We have been in contact with Mr. Rocha’s attorney, Lake Washington School District, and state Sen. Dhingra, and are hopeful this situation will quickly resolve itself in court.”
DelBene added, “We will continue to follow the case closely. President Donald Trump promised to go after the worst of the worst, but his administration’s heavy-handed tactics in many cases ignore people’s constitutional rights and the rule of law.”
