Residents press Mount Vernon council for enforcement, accountability after farmworker activist detained

Dozens of residents addressed the Mount Vernon City Council on March 26, 2025, urging the council to adopt a resolution and implement enforceable accountability measures for the Keep Washington Working Act after a local farmworker activist, Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez, was detained and taken to the Northwest Detention Center. Rosalinda Guillen, a Ward 1 community organizer, told the council her group brought a draft ordinance and sought a public, accountable process rather than a closed task force.

The community said the goal is to ensure training, reporting and public transparency so residents know the city is enforcing the Keep Washington Working Act. “The ordinance that we presented … is important to us,” Rosalinda Guillen said. She described uncertainty about whether a Mount Vernon officer was involved in the detention and reported that an attorney was clarifying whether a Skagit County deputy was the officer who stopped the person taken by ICE.

Other public commenters echoed those demands. Araceli (last name not specified), who said she works in Ward 1, called the detention “unjust and politically motivated” and urged passage of the resolution. Isaac Cavazos, a Ward 1 resident, said the resolution would “send a strong message that our city stands firmly in support of all residents, regardless of their immigration status.” Caroline Bachetto, a coworker and friend of Juarez, told council that Juarez has no criminal record and that his arrest underscores the need to implement the Keep Washington Working Act’s protections.

Council members discussed the matter at length. Council member Richard Bracken (referred to in the record as Council member Brockston in one moment) and other members described the detention as deeply upsetting, expressed support for the detained person and encouraged calls to federal legislators. The council said it is not opposed to the content of the community’s proposed resolution but emphasized the need to understand implementation details and potential legal or administrative consequences before adopting formal action.

Mayor Peter Donovan reported that city leaders and invited community representatives met in person the same day with Mount Vernon Police Chief Dan Christman, Fire Chief Brian Harris, Mount Vernon Prosecutor Jeff McCann, Officer Edgar Serrano, Skagit 911 Director Lisonbee Everbeck and representatives from Community to Community, Indivisible Skagit and other groups. Donovan said the hour-and-a-half meeting improved mutual understanding and that city officials committed to continuing community presentations, refining messaging and working with community leaders to clarify how city agencies will comply with the Keep Washington Working Act.

The council said it had created a committee to listen and learn from community members with lived experience before considering a binding resolution, and some community leaders said they declined to participate in that committee because they prefer immediate adoption of a publicly binding measure with specified reporting and training requirements.

No ordinance or resolution was adopted on March 26. Council members and the mayor said they will continue meetings with community leaders and city staff and that additional follow-up would be scheduled to clarify next steps and any directives to the mayor or city departments.

The public comments and the mayor’s subsequent description of the day’s meeting made clear there is continuing disagreement about process (task force vs. direct adoption) even as council members expressed political and personal support for the detained organizer and for stronger local safeguards.

Looking ahead, community organizers said they will continue to press the council to adopt the measures they presented and to assist with outreach and public education on the city’s obligations under state law.