Three San Juan Island women detained by DHS

Published 1:30 am Thursday, July 9, 2026

Three Hispanic women who live on San Juan Island were detained by the Department of Homeland Security on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 7, near Roche Harbor. They were returning from a cleaning job when their vessel was stopped by the US Coast Guard, who then called in DHS with concerns about immigration. The women are believed to be on their way to the immigration detention center in Tacoma.

Elly Hoague, a retired attorney who works with the Local Immigrant Family Treasury (LIFT) organization on Orcas, said that legal help has been procured to address the women’s needs.

“It’s important people know this was an individual incident and they’re being taken care of,” Hoague said to the Journal. “But remember that the Coast Guard can always stop vessels without cause.”

Detainings can cause fear and alarm among community members, especially during this time of increased ICE activity across the country. Hoague urges people to get information from primary or trusted sources instead of rumors or social media.

“Information about these situations spread like wildfire, true or not. Facebook and other social media are a bit like the game of telephone – it’s not reliable,” she said. “It would help to have more information coming from the Sheriff. I shouldn’t be speaking for the families but I think in general, my friends and neighbors are desperate for information about what’s going on. The more information, the better.”

LIFT can help community members understand and improve their immigration status. Donations to LIFT go directly toward attorney fees for those detained.