Published July  11, 2025;

On March 25, 2025, Alfredo Juarez Zererino, also known as “LELO,” was detained by immigration and customs enforcement early in the morning when he was dropping his partner off at a tulip bulb company in Mount Vernon, according to The Seattle Times. 

According to the Cascadia Daily News, as Lelo attempted to exercise his rights, ICE officials violently detained him. He refused to speak with ICE officials and refused to get out of his car, but ICE agents broke his car window. Several other workers were also taken into custody by ICE agents as well. 

As a teenager, Alfredo Juarez helped found Familias Unidas por la Justicia, a farmworker union based in Skagit County, Washington. The union represents farm workers and was founded to create a better future for hand harvesters. As part of the union’s mission, workers are also encouraged to know their rights and advocate for themselves.

Congressional Representative Rick Larsen has stated, “The Trump administration and ICE have claimed that they are going after the worst of the worst.” However, neither Lelo nor the workers who were taken into custody represent the “worst of the worst.” Representative Larsen also mentioned, “ Immigrating to the United States is legal. Union organizing is legal.” 

Many in the farm worker community consider this an act of political retaliation. 

When Alfredo Juarez was a teenager, he brought a successful complaint against the Bellingham police department regarding a racial profiling incident. He was part of a traffic stop that resulted in his being detained in an immigration detention center in Tacoma, Washington. 

According to the Lynden Tribune, a settlement of $100,000 was reached between the city of Bellingham and Juarez and his family. Juarez has become an activist respected by the community, winning a peacemaker award from the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center in 2023.

However, because of his work in the past, Juarez was targeted by ICE officials, as he is known in the community for speaking out for better working conditions among the farm working community. 

Senator Patty Murray wrote in an email that she is closely monitoring the situation. Governor Bob Ferguson stated in an email that he is concerned about the reports he has been hearing and is working towards gathering more information on the matter. 

by Jacqueline Martinez