UPDATE: Jan. 24 2:27 p.m.
Latinos En Spokane released a statement about the 10-year-old Spokane Public Schools student detained by ICE.
“We are deeply alarmed and saddened by the detention of 10-year-old Karla Tiul and her father by federal authorities, despite their active immigration case and valid documentation. No child should be taken from their community or removed from school, and no parent should have their legal process disregarded,” the organization wrote.
The organization said it had worked closely with the family over the past weeks “to support their case and advocate for their rights.” It said it was continuing to advocate for Karla and her family.
“Karla deserves to be in school with her classmates, and her father deserves to have his court date honored outside of detention. Children deserve safety. Families deserve dignity. Due process must be respected,” the organization wrote.
The organization ended it statement asking the community for donations for legal and social services and for community members to call local representatives.
UPDATE: Governor Ferguson:
“President Trump says he’s going after criminals — tell me what crime this 10-year-old committed. Spokane has been her home since she was four while her dad sought asylum. Now she’s in a detention facility in Texas. This is wrong and un-American.”
UPDATE: Senator Patty Murray sounding off late Friday evening as the mayor reacted.
“This week the Trump administration decided to detain a hardworking roofer with a 10-year-old daughter who’s lived in America the majority of her life—a family who, as far as I know, did everything legally to be here. Trump isn’t going after criminals or the ‘worst of the worst’, he’s deporting hardworking people who make our communities better,” Senator Murray said, “My office is working to learn more about this case and while our options are always limited in scenarios like this, we will do whatever we can to help. I don’t believe this kind of cruel mass deportation agenda is what most Americans want—using our voices and our votes, we can bring sanity, decency, and due process to our immigration enforcement.”
Update from NonStop Locals Bradley Warren, We have reached out to all members of the delegation and the governors office, this copy will be updated as more is made available.
UPDATE: January 23, 2026 at 5:15 p.m.
Mayor Lisa Brown released a statement on Friday in response to the news of a Spokane Public Schools elementary student and their family being detained by ICE.
“My heart goes out to this family and all those who are being forced to live in fear and uncertainty,” Brown said. “This is another example of the Department of Homeland Security’s overreach. The federal government keeps telling us they are focused on criminals, yet a Spokane father and child, neither of whom have a criminal record, were detained and sent to Texas. That contradiction demands accountability and Congress needs to step up to ensure this does not keep playing out in our cities.”
SPOKANE, Wash. – A Spokane Public Schools (SPS) student and their family were recently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and taken to a family detention center.
The SPS Board announced this during a meeting on Wednesday night and confirmed, with the family’s permission, that it was an elementary school student.
The incident occurred while the family was traveling out of state.
The board did not disclose the student’s name or the school they attend but mentioned that the family has no criminal history.
Article originally published January 21, 2026 at 10:29 p.m.
