Local ICE activity ramps up with multiple arrested

THE GORGE — Since Friday, Nov. 7, federal immigration enforcement activity has increased across the Gorge, particularly in Hood River and The Dalles, mirroring a statewide uptick that began in October.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained at least eight people last week, according to the Hood River Latino Network (HRLN), which coordinates a rapid response team of volunteers who monitor and report enforcement activity in Hood River and Wasco counties. In total, federal agents have arrested 50 “illegal aliens” in the two counties this year, said Jason Givens, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), over email.

Both ICE and CBP are arms of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

“We absolutely will not accept this,” said Amber Rose, community engagement coordinator for HRLN. “ICE is absolutely not welcome in the Gorge, and we will continue to build and grow and work in community to make sure that our neighbors and our families are protected.”

The HRLN team first spotted an ICE vehicle in The Dalles on Nov. 7, and two days later, federal agents arrested an employee from Mercado Guadalajara, across the street from Rosauers in Hood River. Six vehicles pulled up, carrying more than a dozen agents who knew their target, did not interact with anyone else and left within 15 minutes, according to a manager there at the time.

Business at the Mercado was affected, with “obviously fewer people” coming in early last week, the manager said.

Then, on Nov. 10, owners of a food cart told Uplift Local they witnessed six vehicles with uniformed federal agents enter The Dalles’ Home Depot parking lot. Separate unconfirmed incidents may have occurred on that day as well.

“This time it wasn’t ‘they told me’ — we actually saw it,” one owner said. “That changes the way you see things, because it’s one thing when someone tells you, and it’s another when you’re living it yourself.”

They closed the food cart for two days.

HRLN regularly posted updates to its Facebook page as it confirmed sightings, but the nonprofit didn’t disclose any other verified incidents between last Wednesday and press deadline on Monday. HRLN also shares information, including known ICE license plate numbers, back and forth with Oregon for All, the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC) and other immigrant justice organizations across the Pacific Northwest.

Last month, PIRC confirmed 329 total arrests in Oregon — a 550% increase compared to previous months, and one that’s all but certain to be an undercount. Many parts of the state saw masked officers roaming neighborhood streets: Hillsboro, Gresham, Woodburn, Salem, Eugene, Cottage Grove and more.

“As part of its mission to enforce immigration laws and make our communities safer, DHS has increased operations throughout Portland and the general vicinity to arrest aliens with criminal histories or immigration violations,” Givens from CBP said.

During that period, news outlets reported multiple known instances of federal agencies detaining U.S. citizens or other lawfully present immigrants, including those with no criminal record. National figures from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a nonpartisan data gathering organization, show that as of Sept. 21, 71.5%, or 42,755 people, held in ICE detention had no criminal convictions.

The 28% who do have criminal records have been prosecuted for a wide range of crimes, including, in some cases, entering the U.S. with no legal entry documentation, according to TRAC.

“Criminal convictions include from very minor traffic violations all the way up to murder.  But most are of a minor nature,” Susan Long, director of TRAC, said in an email.

Across the river, it was rumored online that ICE attempted to enter the Mount Adams Fruit packinghouse in Bingen, but a human resources representative with the company said that was false. Columbia Gorge News and Uplift were not aware of any other incidents in Bingen or White Salmon, and neither were three local officials in city government, education and the nonprofit space.

“We ask for our city councilors, our county commissioners, our mayor, all of our elected officials to stand up and say something and do something,” Rose of HRLN said. “Sanctuary statements are great, but we need to see action to back them up.”

Community voices

Some Latino residents say they don’t feel particularly concerned that they will be targeted by immigration agents. “There is a difference between being an immigrant and an illegal immigrant,” a young man born in Hood River to parents who have become citizens said.

However, he doesn’t like the tactics. “I believe the way they’re doing it is a little bit too forceful. If they were allowed to help people get their residency or anything like that, instead of just having to rip them from their families, that would be better.”

For others, the increased ICE presence has shaken them deeply and sent some into hiding. One woman, a food service worker, said she has been in the U.S. just over a decade, and in Oregon for half that time. She has been pursuing political asylum, but doesn’t have legal immigration status right now.

“We’re living through very difficult, very hard times, and sometimes you don’t even know if you should go out just to take out the trash,” she said. “Leaving the apartment to throw out the trash already feels scary — so imagine how much more fear there is just to go to work. And if you don’t work, then the rent, the food … everything depends on working.”

She hopes her daughter, now an adult, will be at less risk since she came to the U.S. as a minor.

Another woman, a Wasco County resident and parent, said the ICE presence has made her feel desperate. “It has destroyed my peace of mind,” she said. “It has affected me to the point that I can’t function within these four walls — it’s a serious desperation.”

She especially worries she is burdening her daughter by sharing her concerns and her tears.

City of Hood River reacts

During their regular meeting on Nov. 10, a day after the employee at Mercado Guadalajara was detained, Hood River City Council President Gladys Rivera and Councilor Doug Stepina both gave pointed comments denouncing ICE’s actions, and sought a more direct, firm response from the city.

“We cannot change people coming into the community, but what is happening right now is racial profiling,” Rivera said. “That should terrify all of us. That is not immigration enforcement. Community members are being kidnapped.”

Despite them being citizens, Rivera emphasized how she told her parents to stay home and was disappointed the city hadn’t been more proactive in pushing out messaging that reaffirmed the safety of its citizens, and that all people are welcome in Hood River.

City Manager Abigail Elder noted how they have provided information about Oregon’s sanctuary law on social media, the city’s website and in brochures. Their next newsletter will also include resources for immigrants and reiterate its inclusivity resolution passed earlier this year, but Elder acknowledged that those efforts are inadequate.

Conversely, Mayor Paul Blackburn highlighted how Hood River’s leverage pales in comparison to the federal government, and worried about creating a false sense of security.

“I don’t think we should reassure people that they are safe because that is not true. They’re safe from us, but we have a very small scepter and hammer,” he said.

Still, Stepina said that more transparency and communication are key. Latino residents should feel empowered by their local government, especially at a time when both young and old are terrified, he said, and encouraged community members to support Mercado Guadalajara.

“What we should be doing is working to demonstrate, working to inform, working with local community members and organizations that are helping to inform the public about what they can, what they can’t do,” said Stepina. “The residents of Hood River need to hear that from us to have faith in the other things that we do in government.”

School districts respond

Bill Newton, the superintendent of Hood River County’s School District (HRCSD), said the classroom environment was noticeably different last week.

“The recent activity is undeniably creating additional stress and anxiety for our students and their families,” he said over email. “This strain is also felt acutely by our dedicated staff members, who are doing their best to support our students and families while also managing concerns for their own families.”

On Monday last week, Newton sent out a notice to district parents, reminding them of HRCSD’s commitment to providing safe education to every student and of guardrails already in place. Under Oregon law,  schools can’t share information about immigration status without parental consent or assist with immigration enforcement unless presented with a judicial warrant.

In December last year, HRCSD also updated its resolution outlining protections for undocumented students, as previously reported by Columbia Gorge News, and the White Salmon Valley School District (WSVSD) adopted a similar policy in January. Though not completely certain, WSVSD Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn said he wasn’t aware of any ICE activity in the area last week, so he didn’t send out a district-wide notice. He was coordinating with principals and staff internally, though.

“Let’s keep focus on our schools,” said Polkinghorn, describing the message he delivered to employees. “Giving our kids safe, inviting spaces to make them feel comfortable, making sure they’re able to access their education. We have resources available for students in terms of mental health support. We have resources available for immigration issues that we can direct students to.”

The North Wasco County School District wasn’t immediately available for comment by press deadline.

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Additional reporting contributed by Uplift Local Co-Founder Emily Harris.