Terror in Twilight

Terror in Twilight Report in Spanish

The report "Terror in Twilight" is a product of a partnership between the Forks Human Rights Group of Forks, Washington and the Ronald Peterson Student Law Clinic at Seattle University School of Law. It captures years of documentation by community members and shows the human impact of Border Patrol's activity in the area. The report began in 2012 as a student project of Eleanor Doermann, J.D. '12 and Sarah Haywood, J.D. '13  in the Civil Rights Amicus and Advocacy Clinic within the Ronald Peterson Law Clinic. The report was far from complete by the end of the academic semester, and so it was continued with the assistance of interns Shantrice Anderson '14 and Erika Koch '14 under the auspices of the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality at Seattle University School of Law.

This report tells the stories of a number of community members who have been stopped by Border Patrol on the Olympic Peninsula. It addresses the agency's participation in routine local policing matters, and the heavy involvement of local law enforcement agencies in primary immigration enforcement. Although each agency has its own jurisdiction and rules to follow, the distinctions between them have become blurred and distorted.  The report also acknowledges the positive changes achieved through grassroots efforts and litigation, including the lawsuit against Border Patrol for unwarranted traffic stops and halting the practice of Border Patrol officers acting as interpreters in routine police matters. The report gives specific recommendations on how to mitigate the consequences of heavy enforcement in an area with no land border and minimal cross-border activity.