A separate check-in line for non-citizens at this past weekend’s Arctic Thunder Open House at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage prompted warnings from immigration attorneys.
“I certainly have not seen that happen in past iterations of the Arctic Thunder event,” said Lara Nations, whose firm, Nations Law Group, specializes in immigration law. “I think it was a surprise for other people who have gone in the past.”
After learning about the non-citizen screenings, Nations said her firm posted warnings on social media about the high risk of detention, particularly for those with pending asylum and green card applications.
Nations says her firm is aware of at least three cases in which immigrants were detained during the event. Two men were taken to the Anchorage Correctional Center, while a woman was transferred to the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River.
Nations says combining immigration enforcement with a community celebration can cause long-term harm to the immigrant community, particularly at an event as popular and patriotic as Arctic Thunder.
“This kind of enforcement action causes fear in our community, and it makes immigrants feel unsafe to lead normal lives,” she said.
Nations also questioned the event’s entry procedures and said the setup may have put some of those attending at risk.
“It was a very crowded event,” she said. “Our concern is that if somebody had mistakenly gone through the general line, and not the separate line, they could have been accused of making a false claim to U.S. citizenship. The consequences under immigration law are very severe.”
Requests for comment were made to the U.S. Air Force about immigration enforcement activities at Arctic Thunder. An Air Force spokesperson said officials were unable to respond by airtime Monday. As of Tuesday evening, there has been no response.
JBER hosts the Arctic Thunder air show every two years. It draws more than 200,000 visitors to the base, making it one of Alaska’s largest events.
