Over the past few months, workers and management have traded barbs over the direction of the Washington Immigration Solidarity Network (WAISN). The drama has led to mass layoffs.
WAISN, an immigrant rights group that staffs deportation hotlines and connects immigrants to aid organizations around the state, laid off around half of its staff on Wednesday, and cut hours and benefits for others amid a “severe funding shortfall,” according to current and former workers.
This most recent round of layoffs came after WAISN refused to recognize the immigrant rights organizers and call center operator’s union, bringing this year’s layoffs to 18 people. More workers are being furloughed and have already lost significant benefits.
They accuse WAISN of firing workers either in retaliation for unionizing efforts or for criticizing management, as the organization enters an apparent financial freefall.
The news comes as human rights groups around the country are facing headwinds in the tireless work of reducing the harm of the Trump administration. Philanthropic funding has retreated, immigrants require increased assistance, and the effort of tracking ICE’s ever-shadier enforcement requires more volunteer and coordinator hours.
It’s in that pressure cooker that WAISN workers say their supposedly radical community-focused group has abandoned its principles by engaging in anti-union tactics. Workers say that mismanagement and fundraising failures are also to blame, not just the current political and philanthropic climate.
“WAISN is a champion for unions and works with unions, and so [workers] felt like it would be a very natural next step for WAISN to recognize its own union,” said Marsha Enriquez, a Finance and Operations Coordinator who was laid off on Wednesday
WAISN leadership acknowledged the layoffs in a statement, and said they will need to scale back services to immigrants, including reducing hours for its ICE reporting hotline. They blame philanthropic organizations and the state government for shrinking grants even while they deal with increased needs among immigrant communities. On her LinkedIn, co-director Catalina Velasquez says she helped grow WAISN from 5 employees to 37, and from a $2.4 million budget when she arrived in 2021 to a $6.7 million budget. After this year’s layoffs, the number of staff is at 14, including multiple executive assistants. By 2024, revenue had dropped around $3 million, according to the most recent available tax records.