About Us:

The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (“WAISN”) is a grassroots coalition made up of nearly 200 immigrant and refugee rights organizations, individuals, service providers, labor unions and faith communities in over 22 counties. WAISN developed within weeks of the 2016 election. The Network is focused on supporting organizations, protecting and empowering communities, establishing statewide mobilization and resistance to anti-immigrant and anti-refugee activities, and galvanizing communities to begin collective action across the state.

WAISN coordinates statewide resistance to the Detention & Deportation Machine attacks by developing tools and community responders to report immigration enforcement activity and mobilize a powerful, united response. In addition to technical tools, WAISN has trained more than 800 people for on-the-ground with 29 teams of Rapid Response to coordinate real-time responses to immigration enforcement activity statewide.

WAISN Mission:

Our mission is to protect and advance the power of immigrant and refugee communities through a multiracial, multilingual and multi-faith coalition an organizing strategy that educates and mobilizes statewide to uphold and defend the rights and dignity of all immigrants and refugees, centering the voices of impacted communities. You can find more about WAISN online at www.waisn.org

How we build:

• The Network subscribes to a collective process led by community partners and guided by nationwide blueprints to build powerful coalitions.

• We have formulated and convene organizing tables that include community leadership, and creates a balance to set the strategy and approach to the work and increase advocacy efforts around the region.

• We collaborate with LGBTQ communities, faith communities, youth groups, women’s rights and many more; all with the intention to address communities holistically through an intersectional approach.