One person taken by ICE Dec. 30

Agents asked the couple, “‘Which one of you wants to stay?’” recounted Perez. ICE then returned one adult to the home, and took the other.

Perez hasn’t found out yet where the individual is being held yet, but both parents are in their early 20s and without a criminal record, he said.

“This is the only country they have ever known ... they got brought here at a young age,” said Perez.

“Latinos Unidos got in contact with a person that got  detained and released, and we gave her all the information and the resources that we have at hand and that can help them,” Perez said.

Latinos Unidos takes donations, especially of food or Fred Meyer and Safeway gift cards, all of which go directly to affected families, Perez said. People can best contact Latinos Unidos The Dalles via Facebook.

ICE agents have been in The Dalles for about a month, often spotted by locals near the Fairfield Inn and Cousins’ Restaurant area, said Perez. Apart from Latinos Unidos, The Hood River Latino Network also runs a rapid response teams that monitors ICE activity.

The Dalles Police Chief Tom Worthy said his agency is notified when ICE is sending vehicles on a given day to the area. He weren’t aware of this ICE activity, do not assist ICE, and the notifications are only so TDPD knows the presence of ICE in the community, Worthy emphasized.

“They have a 7-month-old baby that could have lost both their parents in one day,” Perez said.

He added, “I just hoped our town would be more unified. Everyone is human, and I don’t think we should be judged if you’re legal or not legal. We are all human, and we all live in this same town of The Dalles. We could all treat each other with respect. That’s all we ask for our Latino community in these times.”

With some local families afraid to go shopping for fear of ICE, The Dalles’ Indivisible group is also collecting donations for the detained and encouraging community members to shop at local Latino-owned businesses. Both groups are assisting the family who’s father was taken from Home Depot last month. as previously reported by Columbia Gorge News.

He was in Tacoma, ready for his court date after hiring an attorney, when he was suddenly transported to Texas, said Debi Ferrer, who leads the local Indivisible chapter. The family started a GoFundMe to help pay for new representation.