SEATTLE — An attorney with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project , a legal defense nonprofit for immigrants, noticed something unusual last week at the Seattle Immigration Court.

After finishing a client’s hearing, she saw individuals outside who appeared to be law enforcement officers.

"Eventually, we started hearing of other community members, whose cases were being dismissed by the judge at the request of the government prosecutors, eventually were being detained," said Malou Chavez, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project executive director.

Chavez said three people were detained May 21 and another three or four were detained May 22.

"Dismissal sounds great -- your immigration case ends, that's perfect, you're no longer in deportation proceedings," Chavez said. "But many of our commu

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