Opinion: Immigrants are not at the periphery — they are the foundation of our society

We write at a moment of crisis and clarity. Across the country, immigrant rights are not simply under threat; they are being dismantled by design. Children as young as six are appearing in court without legal counsel. “Wellness checks” by federal agents are ending in family separations. Birthright citizenship, long considered a constitutional guarantee, is now under review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

This is not drift. It is deliberate.

The streets of Los Angeles bear witness as demonstrations have spread to more cities across the country, from Washington to New York. Over the past week, crowds of people have gathered outside detention centers, workplaces, and government buildings to protest sweeping immigration raids. Federal agents in riot gear have fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Hundreds have been arrested, including labor leaders and community members trying to shield others from detention.

These scenes are not isolated. They are consequences of a moral and legal unraveling. 

As leaders of YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish, we know what happens when systems abandon the people they are meant to serve. And as the daughters of migrants, we carry the lived history of communities who have endured this before.

A bit about us: Maria, who is a naturalized citizen, arrived with her mother from Lima, Peru at 11 years old, speaking no English. She graduated summa cum laude from Boston University and went on to lead several major human service organizations nationwide, before becoming the first Latina CEO in our organization’s history. Margaret, born in Oakland and raised in Seattle, is the daughter of a Filipina immigrant from Pampanga. As a civil rights attorney, she now serves as the first C-suite public policy officer in our YWCA’s history.

Our stories are not rare. They are reminders. Immigrants are not on the periphery of American life. We are at its foundation.

Here, we found footholds in places like Bellevue and Auburn to the downtown Seattle core. In these communities, institutions like the YWCA are not optional. They are anchors, defended by the community and sustained where systems fall short.

Migrants from around the world have long shaped the civic and economic foundation of this region. That legacy now stands in direct conflict with policies that criminalize our presence and destabilize our rights.

Immigration enforcement now reaches into classrooms, hospitals, and places of worship. These incursions do more than result in arrests. They fracture families, disrupt essential services, and erode trust in public institutions. Deportation does not just remove individuals. It dismantles entire systems of care.

Family courts are overwhelmed. Child welfare systems are stretched beyond capacity. Fear keeps families from seeking medical care, attending school, or reporting abuse. When rights become too dangerous to claim, they cease to function.

And now, the very foundation of legal belonging is under attack. If birthright citizenship is overturned, it would render millions of U.S.-born children stateless and create a permanent underclass with no access to rights, stability, or protections.

The law is not meant to be a weapon. It is meant to be a shield.

We need a path grounded in legal and moral clarity. That means ensuring legal counsel for all children in immigration proceedings, protecting family unity, upholding due process, and affirming that citizenship is not a privilege. It is a constitutional promise.

Immigration justice does not exist in isolation. It intersects with housing, healthcare, education, and child welfare. Undermine one and the rest begin to fall.

As immigrant women leading one of the region’s oldest organizations dedicated to social justice, we refuse to let fear define the future. We call on courts, lawmakers, and community institutions to remember what justice is and to act accordingly.

We are stitched into this country, not at its margins but at its core.

Let this be our shared vow: to speak truth, protect families, and build systems worthy of the people they serve.

About the Authors:
Maria Chavez-Wilcox is the CEO of YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish and the first Latina to lead the organization in its 130-year history. An immigrant from Lima, Peru, she has an over 30-year track record of successful nonprofit leadership nationwide, including serving as president and CEO of United Way of Southern California for 18 years.

Maria serves as a board member of the YWCAUSA National Organization and the chair of the World Relations Committee, as well as the co-chair of the Human Rights Advisory Committee for the FIFA World Cup coming to Seattle in 2026.

Margaret Duñgo Gritten is the chief public policy officer of YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish, leading regional and national advocacy on housing, economic, racial, and immigrant justice. A civil rights attorney, Margaret is also the first C-suite level policy officer and youngest executive in the organization’s history.