Tukwila is swelling with asylum-seekers. What can be done?

When asylum-seekers began showing up at the door of Tukwila's Riverton Park United Methodist Church last year, Rev. Jan Bolerjack felt it was the church's duty to care for them. But as the situation worsened over the months, the reverend said it's now more than one church, in one Washington town, can handle.

"This basically came to us, and we couldn't shut the door," Bolerjack told KUOW's Soundside. "It is our call; this is more than we can handle though."

The reverend said that the need is now so great, she has to turn some people away. The issue has grown into a regional emergency, with various parties chipping in to help, but with few long-term solutions.

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Bolerjack is now urging others in Western Washington to help. She hopes people will open their homes.

"They can come and take a family into their homes. These families are wonderful families," she said. "They deserve better than what they are getting as a welcome into the United States. Some people even wonder if they are really in the United States, ending up like they are here. Come take a family. Come meet a family. Come play with some children. Financial assistance is always welcome, also."

This week, the Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS) stepped up with $60,000 to keep 200 people in a Kent hotel for another week.

"I got a call from a friend, Sarah Perry, who is also our King County Council member, and asked if MAPS could help with a situation they have," said Hyder Ali with MAPS.

Ali said that he was told the asylum seekers needed a place to stay for about two weeks. He turned around and spoke with the MAPS board and within 10 minutes, the funding was approved.

"Migrants are probably the most vulnerable in our society," Ali said. "No one wants to uproot their family and come to a foreign country, unless they face severe violence or disastrous conditions in their homeland. In the Muslim community we are quite familiar with this situation because we've had a number of refugees from war-torn countries that have come to Seattle ... our faith teaches us that we need to take care of the most vulnerable."

Plymouth United Church of Christ in Seattle has also come forward to help. King County also announced $1 million in assistance, slated for yet-to-be chosen nonprofits than can serve asylum-seekers. Seattle previously paid for hotel rooms, but that money ran out.

The city of Tukwila announced in late February that it would set up a 3,030-square-foot tent, heated, in the church's parking lot that could accommodate 100 people. Bolerjack pointed out that nobody is yet allowed inside.

"There's heat going into that tent, but of course not into the little tents," she said, noting the recent freezing weather.

"I'd love to have that big dorm tent open, but it's taking longer to get it ready than any of us thought it would take. It's not open yet. It'd be like a big palace in the middle of a bunch of rain-soaked tents."

According to a city of Tukwila spokesperson, the tent is set up, but the inside is not prepped. An official move-in day has not been set, but it could be as early as this week.

With so many asylum-seekers showing up locally, the city declared a state of emergency last October. Since then, more and more have arrived with the Riverton Park United Methodist Church becoming the epicenter of the emergency.

Currently, the church is caring for about 1,000 people, according to the Bolerjack. About 350 people stay at the church overnight, many in tents in the parking lot. More than 100 sleep inside the church, with two-people per twin mattress on the floor. The church is also housing 50 people in local AirBnBs, and another 120 in a hotel. Others find accommodations elsewhere, but return to the church for assistance and services.

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Still, more keep coming.

"I already turned away five people this morning, because we don't have space," Bolerjack said. "Yesterday, we turned away about 15 people. At 10 o'clock last night, I actually had to call the police and have them remove some people because they weren't willing to leave and I have no space for them. It's very difficult saying to people who have no place to go, 'Please leave.' It's a terrible situation. It's heartbreaking."