(image via Getty)
Finding myself in the middle of an active shooter situation was not part of my spring break plans. However, the universe makes its own plans.
To escape the Seattle rain and cold, my family decided to visit New Mexico to get some sun. We were excited to stay at a lovely hotel resort in Albuquerque.
On Monday morning, I headed out at sunrise for some bird photography, and I captured some fabulous photos of hawks and goldfinches. I returned to the hotel with my heart full and excited to regroup with my husband, Tom, and daughters Sofia, 13, and Sarina, 10, to head to the aquarium. As we left the hotel, Tom and Sarina were about a minute ahead of Sofia and me. We lost sight of them as they turned the corner into the lobby, and by the time Sofia and I reached the lobby, I noticed that the front desk was unstaffed. We suddenly saw two or three rows of fully armed police officers with long rifles slowly marching toward Sofia and me — the only people in the very large lobby. They looked directly at us as if we had done something wrong.
One officer yelled, “Hands up.” It didn’t register, so we looked at them blankly. We were so confused. There was a second yell, “Hands up in the air.” Sofia and I immediately raised our empty hands up in the air. Sofia started to tear up, looking petrified. I slowly started to lower my left arm around her, and still confused, I asked, “Are you serious?” It felt so surreal as if we were in a movie.
In a loud and aggressive voice, a police officer asked, “Where are you going?” Sofia replied quietly, “To the aquarium.” I saw his face soften, just a touch. He lowered his gun, walked toward us, and opened the main door. Sofia walked in front of me and ran to her dad, who was about 50 feet ahead of us.
I asked the officer what was going on. He replied in almost a whisper, “Active shooter situation. Keep walking and follow them,” pointing to police outside.
In a daze, I walked out to a driveway full of policemen and police cars. There were about 30 police cars in the sizable parking lot and driveway.
We were escorted to a golf cart garage across from the hotel, which was on a hill overlooking the scene. We saw people walking into the garage in their swimsuits covered with only their towels. It appeared that hotel staff were still evacuating the venue.
Sofia was shaking and crying. I kept a strong face and told her we had nothing to worry about with so many officers and police cars. We joined about 50 or so people, including hotel staff and guests, who were escorted to the garage. The gray, windowless concrete structure had only its main door open to let air in on this sunny day.
About two hours after the start of the ordeal, police gave some of us an update that, for our safety, the garage door would be closed because they had not found the shooter in the building.
It suddenly felt even more terrifying. It was hard not to have visions of someone shooting through the metal garage door and into the windowless garage.
When I passed along the update to Tom and my daughters, it was suddenly clear to me that neither he nor Sarina knew we were in an active shooter lockdown. They had been escorted to the garage without being told why. Immediately, 10-year-old Sarina burst into tears. Even though I also was scared, I tried to reassure them. I told them that 30 or so police cars, several SWAT cars, and countless officers wouldn’t let anyone harm us. While rumors flew around the garage that a shooter had barricaded themselves in a hotel room, there was little confirmed information. Still, it was a comfort knowing that law enforcement officers appeared to be doing their job.
We didn’t want to worry our friends and family, so we didn’t contact anyone. But as the situation continued, I finally texted my team at my office just in case. I am the only lawyer at my office with a tentative backup plan, but I’ve not updated my succession plan since early COVID-19. Reality hit that I had to update this plan.
After four hours, I had to stop myself from thinking the worst and kept going back to positive thoughts. My meditation practice helped me remain calm.
In my mind, I kept thanking the universe that at least my family was together in this terrifying moment. I likely would have been a mess if we were apart. Until you are faced with such a situation, I don’t know if you really do contemplate mortality in the same way.
During the fifth hour of lockdown, the garage door was opened, and people were allowed to walk outside around the golf course in the sunshine. Staff gave us chips and Gatorade, and law enforcement still swarmed the property.
Soon, we saw someone who appeared to be in charge walk up the hill. He took a microphone and commended all of us for remaining calm. He then told us that the issue had been resolved, and we were free to go back to our rooms.
There was a loud cheer, and we slowly walked back to the hotel as the police cars started to leave the property.
Once Tom, Sofia, Sarina, and I got to our room, we were exhausted. The mental stress and anxiety took a toll, so we ordered room service and watched a movie. All of it was surreal.
We were told the next day that a hoax had started this situation. But I am not sure we will ever know the real story. The fear was indeed real.
As a lawyer and immigration reform activist, I can’t help but think about gun laws and the reforms required. As a mother, I cannot help but think about all the mothers who have lost their children; my heart breaks afresh. As a human, I cannot help but think about how to heal humankind so that people do not act toward other humans with violence and that we do not have to live in fear.
I feel lucky to be alive to tell the story. This story could have ended differently and perhaps never been told. I didn’t know something much worse was going down in Louisville, Kentucky, at a bank at that same moment.
I thank the hotel staff and law enforcement for their hard work keeping us safe.
I don’t have answers. But I take this moment to ask Congress to love our citizens more than it loves partisan politics and create a safer country for our children — and for us.
Tahmina Watson is the founding attorney of Watson Immigration Law in Seattle, where she practices US immigration law focusing on business immigration. She has been blogging about immigration law since 2008 and has written numerous articles in many publications. She is the author of Legal Heroes in the Trump Era: Be Inspired. Expand Your Impact. Change the World and The Startup Visa: Key to Job Growth and Economic Prosperity in America. She is also the founder of The Washington Immigrant Defense Network (WIDEN), which funds and facilitates legal representation in the immigration courtroom, and co-founder of Airport Lawyers, which provided critical services during the early travel bans. Tahmina is regularly quoted in the media and is the host of the podcast Tahmina Talks Immigration. She is a Puget Sound Business Journal 2020 Women of Influence honoree. Business Insider recently named her as one of the top immigration attorneys in the U.S. that help tech startups. You can reach her by email at tahmina@watsonimmigrationlaw.com, connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter at @tahminawatson.
