Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem attends a House Committee on the Judiciary Hearing, entitled "Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security", at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington D.C., March 4, 2026. (DHS Mikaela McGee)
BLAINE, Wash. — Federal immigration arrest announcements in Whatcom County have gone quiet this week after several weeks of steady enforcement updates from the region.
Throughout February, U.S. Border Patrol’s Blaine Sector and U.S. Customs and Border Protection DFO Seattle office regularly posted about arrests tied to targeted enforcement operations in northwest Washington. In most cases, officials highlighted suspects with prior criminal histories, including assault, domestic violence, DUI and other criminal offenses.
Federal officials have repeatedly emphasized that enforcement efforts focus on people with criminal records.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made that point during testimony before Congress this week.
“A majority of aliens arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have a criminal record and have been charged with or convicted of secondary crimes in addition to their initial crime of being in the United States illegally,” Noem told lawmakers Wednesday.
However, this week local arrest updates have stopped appearing in recent days.
The most recent publicly announced arrest tied to the operations occurred Feb. 26, when federal agents arrested a Mexican national near Lynden.
PNW Daily reported the case on March 1 after Border Patrol’s Targeted Enforcement Unit, assisted by Air and Marine Operations personnel from Bellingham, arrested Samuel Perfecto-Ramirez during an operation in the Lynden area.
Officials said Perfecto-Ramirez had a prior arrest involving assault and domestic violence. Authorities placed him in removal proceedings.
Arrest announcements appeared frequently in February
Earlier in the month, federal agencies announced several similar arrests in Whatcom County.
The Lynden area became the focus of multiple operations carried out by the Blaine Sector Targeted Enforcement Unit and other federal partners.
PNW Daily documented the following arrests announced by federal officials:
• Feb. 10: Agents arrested Aquilino Reyes-Vasquez near Lynden after he fled a vehicle stop.
• Feb. 18: Agents arrested Jorge Solano-Vargas during a targeted enforcement operation.
• Feb. 20: Agents arrested Adolfo Gonzalez-Santos in another Lynden-area operation.
• Feb. 24: Agents arrested Honorio Juarez-Vazquez near Lynden.
• Feb. 26: Agents arrested Samuel Perfecto-Ramirez near Lynden.
In each case, federal officials emphasized the suspect’s prior criminal history when announcing the arrest.
Federal messaging focused on criminal records
Federal immigration officials have repeatedly said enforcement efforts focus on individuals with criminal records.
As a result, social media posts announcing the February arrests often highlighted suspects’ prior convictions or arrests.
In many of the cases, specialized enforcement teams carried out the operations. Those teams included the Blaine Sector Targeted Enforcement Unit working with other federal components.
No new arrest announcements this week
Since the Feb. 26 arrest announcement, federal authorities have not publicly announced additional immigration arrests in Whatcom County.
However, federal agencies do not announce every arrest. Instead, officials often highlight cases involving individuals with criminal histories.
Therefore, the lack of announcements does not necessarily mean enforcement activity has stopped in the region.
Washington state ICE arrest data
According to reporting by the Washington State Standard, a 2025 analysis of ICE arrest records in Washington found:
- 31% of people arrested had criminal convictions
- 17% had pending criminal charges
- About 52% had no convictions at all
Another statewide analysis found similar results. That report showed 59 percent of ICE arrests in Washington involved people with no criminal charges or convictions, while about 41 percent involved someone with a criminal conviction.
Together, the data suggests that depending on the dataset and time period, roughly 40 percent to 60 percent of ICE arrests in Washington involve people without criminal convictions.
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