‘It’s killing me’: Portland family desperate to locate father detained by ICE

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A North Portland family is in distress after their father, Rafael Arriola Caballero, was suddenly taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier this month, then seemingly transferred out of the country without warning.

Now, the family, along with a local grassroots coalition, is working to locate him and bring him back home.

Doorbell camera footage from a neighbor first captured the moment the 45-year-old father of six was approached by ICE agents while leaving for work on the morning of Sept. 16.

In the video, agents can be heard demanding he exit his vehicle, followed by the loud sound of glass shattering.

Caballero’s daughter, Elizabeth Arriola Ramirez, told KOIN 6 News the moment is too painful for her to watch.

“It was mainly because I didn’t want to see his last moments… in the car he’d take to work every morning, in the car he’d take me to soccer practice in,” she said.

The family said they didn’t know where Caballero had been taken until the following morning, when they received a call from the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. It was Caballero, confirming he was in ICE custody.

Ramirez noted her father immigrated from Mexico in 2005 and has worked tirelessly to support his six children.

“He was apologizing, but we kept telling him that it wasn’t his fault,” she said.

She was able to visit him at the detention center, recalling that he appeared to be in poor condition and injured. Days later, he called to say he was being deported, but did not know where he was going.

Since then, the family has lost contact with him.

Now, the local organization, Deportation Defense Coalition, is assisting the family in locating Caballero and advocating for his return.

Emma Martinez, a community organizer with the coalition, says they mobilized community support and launched a coordinated outreach campaign to elected officials.

“We did a phone barrage to our elected officials all day yesterday,” she said. “We filled up the inboxes and voicemails of Rep. Maxine Dexter, Senators Wyden, and Merkley — everyone we could reach.”

Their efforts have not gone unnoticed.

In a statement to KOIN 6, Rep. Maxine Dexter acknowledged the community’s role in bringing attention to Rafael’s case and said her office acted swiftly to intervene:

“Thanks in a large part to the incredible outreach from our community, my office worked around the clock to press ICE on behalf of Rafael Arriola Caballero—to confirm his whereabouts, ensure he was receiving appropriate medical care, and that he was afforded due process. Unfortunately, even after my office intervened, ICE deported Rafael and denied him the opportunity for a credible fear interview which is a basic and required step in ICE’s own process. This is a serious violation. I am committed to holding ICE accountable, fixing this broken system, and ending these injustices for good. That starts by supporting Rafael’s family in contacting and locating their father following his deportation. I remain grateful to the community for continuing to speak out and stand alongside Rafael’s family.”

The family still does not know where Caballero was sent or his current condition. Elizabeth says all they can do now is wait and hope for a reunion, ideally by her father’s birthday on Nov. 6.

“Just the thought of us not being able to celebrate in the kitchen with cake… and being able to hug him… is killing me right now,” she said tearfully.

KOIN has reached out to ICE for comment on Rafael’s case or his current location. This story will be updated if we hear back.