National Guard shooting leaves fear and sorrow in Bellingham, Washington

Brian Mann

December 09, 2025 / 9:05 am

BELLINGHAM — On a grey, wintry afternoon, Jeremy Dorrough stood outside a coffee shop in this northern city, a half hour's drive from the Canadian border, and voiced fear for the small community of Afghan refugees settled here.

"They're constantly looking out the window and asking, are they coming for me tonight? Am I next?" said Dorrough, who leads a volunteer group called Racial Unity Now.

After meeting with Afghan families in recent days, he described their mood as "overwhelming fear."

Bellingham is a college town, home to roughly a hundred thousand people. It's a verdant, outdoorsy place; the tourism bureau for the county is full of recommendations for hiking paths, b

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