Grassroots group Haven Watch grows to support released detainees from Whipple Building

NINA MOINI: I'm Nina Moini. You're listening to Minnesota Now. We really appreciate you joining us today. Thousands of Minnesotans have plugged into opportunities to help their community with food, legal help, rent help, and more during this tumultuous time. We wanted to check in on one group that got started just a few weeks ago, helping the people that are getting released from detention at the Whipple Building every day.

I spoke with Natalie Ehret, the founder of Haven Watch, last month. The organization has really grown in size since then. And Natalie is back with us today to share an update. Thank you so much for your time, Natalie.

NATALIE EHRET: Yeah. Thank you for having me.

NINA MOINI: I have to say, the response to when we last spoke was incredible. People were emailing left and right to ask how they could help with this cause. And I know that the last couple of months, we talked about you being really inspired by your son to spend a large chunk of your time waiting outside the Whipple Federal Building with phones, food, jackets for people. How has this effort grown for you in the past few weeks? And how are you doing?

NATALIE EHRET: I'm tired. I think we're all tired. The needs of the people we're serving on the ground haven't changed. And I'd say, if anything, they've grown. The response was incredible. The number of emails, and messages, and calls we've got is overwhelming. We haven't been able to respond to most of those, given how hard we're working on the ground, unfortunately. But it just, again, speaks to our community and people being willing to help and wanting to do something. So that means a lot to us.

NINA MOINI: And when you say, the need has grown, tell me more about that. What are you seeing? Are you just seeing more of a steady flow of people coming out? Because you're seeing these people when they come out, and sometimes they don't have any of their belongings.

NATALIE EHRET: Correct. So that hasn't changed. And I'd say over the last two weeks, we've seen quite a significant increase in the number of people being released, specifically immigrant community members. And those people require serious support and resources, both in the immediate-- when they exit the gate, these are the people that come to us shaking from the cold and just the trauma of the experience they've been through, crying.

Many of them are non-English speaking. And a lot of our volunteers are non-English speaking. But the language barrier doesn't change that moment of embracing somebody, being able to offer comfort and feel what they're feeling in the moment. And then where this just started with maybe providing a phone and a warm vehicle for these people, or transportation if needed, it has grown into wanting to provide much more meaningful support and ongoing support.

So, like I said, these people need kindness and love in that moment, but their needs are significant moving forward-- financial, mental health, legal-- as simple as when these people are picked up sometimes and drug from their vehicles wherever they're at, if it's on their way to work or on a highway, their vehicle is left there and then towed. And then these people get out sometimes weeks later and have to pay an impound fee that they don't have-- they didn't have a lot of times.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. You're seeing a variety of challenges that are just really starting as people exit the building. I know the last time we spoke, you mentioned that you were seeing a lot of US citizens-- like almost half and half, if I remember correctly. So you're saying that has changed?

NATALIE EHRET: So I don't know anyone's status. They're all being released. So, obviously, the conditions of their release are such that they aren't a threat to a community and legally are able to leave. So we aren't seeing as many people who are detained as a result of a protest or being a constitutional observer.

We're seeing mainly immigrant releases. And that's the community that I think has suffered so deeply. It's difficult to explain and also require a lot of thoughtful aftercare that we're working desperately to organize. And just the variety of needs-- like I said, some you wouldn't anticipate, like laundry service. A lot of these people don't feel safe leaving their home for groceries or to do laundry, if that's how they did laundry before this outside of the home. Because of the trauma that they've experienced, they're just scared to be anywhere other than a safe place right now. So the coordination effort we're trying to do to make connections in communities--

NINA MOINI: And you mentioned the trauma when folks are coming out of there. Some members of Congress have attempted to do checks on what was going on inside of the Whipple Building. Some have been able to go in, some have been denied. People have described a different concerning conditions. What are you hearing about the conditions inside when you're meeting people outside of the Whipple Building?

NATALIE EHRET: That's the point where I think there is almost no understanding of how bad things are. And I know a representative, I've seen the video, did a recent visit there. She was not showing what we're seeing.

She saw some of how difficult it is. But I think our workers heard that interview and were disturbed at some of what was missed or wasn't shown-- specifically the sleeping conditions, that people are packed and the immigrant community members are packed into small rooms so close that sometimes there isn't room to sit or lay down.

There are no beds, blankets, or pillows in that facility because it's not meant to be a facility to hold people overnight, even though people absolutely are being held overnight frequently-- sometimes for days and days. So they'll lay on a concrete floor with almost no room to lay. And there's a fan above them. And they're only allowed to wear one layer of clothing. So they need to choose which layer to keep.

Like I said, they aren't offered pillows or blankets because I don't believe they even exist in the building. Every single person I've asked has never had a pillow or blanket. And they lay on a concrete floor freezing. And this is women, teenagers. We've had several teenagers, 18-year-olds, in my car crying and shaking, telling me how cold they were.

The men have a bathroom, one toilet that's in that room where they barely have room to stand. And then that's where they're expected to sleep and use the bathroom. The drinking water is the same-- it's connected to the toilet, the sink. So people won't drink the water either because it's so bad or it just doesn't seem sanitary.

So I don't think people are comprehending how bad the conditions are inside-- the lack of medical care, the injuries we hear that people have been denied medical care for, people screaming in pain. They'll say someone was taken and brought back, and the stories are unbelievable. They're chained. We've had pregnant women with marks around their belly because they're chained around their bellies and then with their hands chained in front.

NINA MOINI: Natalie, what you're describing is so concerning. And there have been many accounts. And DHS, we haven't, obviously, been able to reach out about what you're saying right now, but consistently has said everybody is getting the care they need. Everything is fine, even though people are seeing different conditions with their own eyes.

And, as we move forward right now, it sounds like you're kind of having a shift to how do we help these people when they come out, because that's the beginning of another set of challenges. We do know that DHS has said it removed around 700 agents from the $3,000 that were in the state last week.

We just heard from Governor Tim Walz that he is hopeful. And he said he expects that there could be an end to this surge by the end of this week. But none of that is a guarantee, obviously. So everybody wants to be really careful about talking about when will this end, because DHS has not set a specific date that this would end or this surge would be drawn back.

For you, what are you thinking as you continue to move forward? Because, Natalie, you do sound like this is extremely difficult work to be doing. There's a lot of support coming in. But there's so many people to serve. So what are you thinking as you move forward? And is any of what I just mentioned at all encouraging to you?

NATALIE EHRET: I try not to be too forward thinking or hopeful because I just have to keep showing up in the moment. I've heard of the reduction in presence. I don't see it where I'm at. Because, like I said, if anything, we're seeing more people coming through.

NINA MOINI: OK.

NATALIE EHRET: So, like I said, I really just have to focus on what we're doing today.

NINA MOINI: One day at a time.

NATALIE EHRET: But I heard a story that I believe [AUDIO OUT] about people being released in El Paso. So, generally, the planes come back from El Paso with Minnesota residents that are released out of Whipple, which is who we deal with. But to find out that there's large numbers of Minnesota residents having their releases ordered, and then they're released in El Paso--

NINA MOINI: Right.

NATALIE EHRET: -- upwards of a hundred, is so deeply disturbing to me. So now I'm trying to organize, how can we serve those people, which, again, feels like an insurmountable task, but one that has to be addressed. If we have people that are stranded outside the gate in Texas that are without resources, without, probably, phones, possibly identification, no money, no family, and no way to get home, that's a horrifying thought that I need to draw attention to right now, because that feels like something that is too big for me and my small group alone to address. But that is critically important that we find out what's happening and get support to them.

NINA MOINI: Yes. Thank you so much for checking in with us. We hope that you'll continue to check in about what you're seeing on the ground. It's important to have these eyewitness accounts. Thank you.

NATALIE EHRET: Sure. Thank you. Bye-bye, Nina.

NINA MOINI: Bye. That was Natalie Ehret, an organizer of the group Haven Watch.