SPOKANE, Wash. – Bajun Mavalwalla answered the door Tuesday morning at 6am, to the FBI.
His son, Bajun Mavalwalla II, had plans to sign for a house that day. That’s why Mavalwalla says he stayed the night. But the next morning — he heard banging on the door.
Mavalwalla says FBI told him to go across the street, where he watched his son’s arrest.
“As soon as he stepped outside, he was arrested,” Mavalwalla said.
Bajun Mavalwalla II and eight others were arrested Tuesday morning after being named in a federal indictment.
And while arrests over the Spokane immigration protests wasn’t new to Mavalwalla’s father, he says the arrest was a surprise.
“We had no idea what was coming down the pipe,” Mavalwalla said.
He also explained that he found the situation ridiculous.
“Seems like a waste of federal resources to me,” Mavalwalla said.
The 9 arrested, including Mavalwalla, had first appearances in federal court Tuesday afternoon.
They appeared in front of a judge three at a time – Mavalwalla was in the third group.
After they were seen, those released from federal custody were able to exit the courthouse and reunite with family and friends.
Former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart was released on Tuesday Afternoon.
Non Stop Local reached out to him this afternoon. While he wouldn’t comment on the indictment, he did share updates on the status of the two Venezuelan men, Joshua and Cesar, who were at the center of the protests.
Stuckart says that both Joshua and Cesar are at a immigration facility in Tacoma, waiting for what’s called master hearings.
Joshua’s is scheduled for Tuesday, and despite being granted the ability to attend by the judge, Stuckart says he will not be in attendance, but would likely be there for a bail hearing that would be scheduled after the master hearing.
As for Mavalwalla, he told Non Stop Local that he felt the first appearance went well, but it was still hard, but not as hard as the arrest.
“A little bit easier than calling my daughter and my first wife and my mother and telling them that the FBI banged on the door at 6 o clock in the morning and arrested my son,” Mavalwalla said.
As of now, two of the nine indicted remain in custody. Bobbi Silva and Mikki Hatfield are charged with assault in addition to conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer. They have a hearing scheduled for Friday to determine if they will be released. If the judge chooses to keep them detained, they will remain in federal custody until their trail, which as of Wednesday, has not been scheduled.
