Two local attorneys have expressed alarm regarding the recent detentions of asylum seekers in Portland, sparked by video footage showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents apprehending a Colombian national, identified as E.A.T.B., in downtown Portland.
Tristen Edwards, the lead attorney for Restorative Justice at the Metropolitan Public Defender’s office, stated that the video reveals masked individuals extracting the man from his vehicle and placing him into an SUV. This incident marks the fifth known detention of an asylum seeker in Portland in recent weeks, although Edwards is not representing E.A.T.B.
A legal document from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon confirms that the man was transferred out of state on June 18 at approximately 10:07 a.m., as there are no ICE detention facilities in Oregon. Court records indicate that the Portland Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, located in South Portland, lacks overnight detention accommodations.
Yessenia Martinez, the immigration attorney representing E.A.T.B., raised concerns about a troubling trend of detentions targeting individuals who have been in the U.S. for less than two years, irrespective of their adherence to legal protocols. She confirmed that E.A.T.B. is currently being held at a detention facility in Tacoma.
Martinez advised undocumented individuals and asylum seekers to remain composed if detained and to avoid carrying identification from their countries of origin. She emphasized the importance of contacting an immigration attorney promptly and cautioned against signing any documents without legal advice.
Martinez noted that, as detentions and deportations increase, there are no effective strategies for asylum seekers to evade capture. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a solid answer for how individuals can protect themselves… [ICE agents] are aware of where people are living and typically do not approach homes with arrest warrants; instead, they wait until individuals are in their vehicles and stop them while in transit,” she explained.
