Seattle press conference with José Medina Adrande family, Venezuelan immigrant detained in Guantánamo Bay

Seattle, WA – On February 16, the family of José Medina Adrande, along with a coalition of organizations and immigrant rights activists, held a press conference outside the U.S. District Federal Court in Seattle, demanding Adrande’s release from detention in Guantánamo Bay. The event was organized to draw attention to the unjust and shocking transfer of a Washington state asylum-seeker to the infamous detention facility.

The press conference was organized by a coalition of groups, including the International Migrants Alliance (IMA), Capybara Colectiva, Chicanos En Seattle, and the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS). These organizations joined forces with Adrande’s family to share his story and demand his immediate release.

Organizers reported that on February 7, Adrande’s family received a call from another detainee at a Texas detention center, who reported that Adrande had been transferred to Guantánamo Bay. Initially, “the family had no idea what that was,” said Kasandra Seda, an organizer with Capybara Colectiva, a Seattle-area migrants’ rights organization. But after advocates explained “what Guantánamo Bay was, and where it was, they were heartbroken and devastated.”

Adrande, a Venezuelan immigrant, was originally detained in Renton, Washington. Contrary to the Trump administration’s claims about migrants transferred to Guantánamo, José is not a criminal. He is a beloved father, husband, brother and friend who was fleeing threats of violence in his homeland and supporting his family and asylum-seeking community in Washington state. His only so-called “crime” was crossing the border in search of safety.

The press conference took place outside the U.S. District Federal Court at 700 Stewart Street in Seattle, the same location where Adrande’s family last saw him in person. Attendees were urged to join the campaign to free José by signing a petition and getting involved in the campaign team through the link: linktr.ee/freejose. Donations to support the campaign and the family’s basic needs were also collected via Venmo at @IMA-WA with the note “Free José.”

After the press conference, participants planned to join a protest against ICE, calling for the shutdown of Guantánamo Bay and an end to the inhumane detention of immigrants.

The campaign to free José Medina Adrande continues to gain momentum, with activists vowing to keep fighting until he is released and reunited with his family.

#SeattleWA #WA #ImmigrantRights