Outrage grows over ‘cruel’ ICE detainments as Oregon lawmakers press for answers

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Outrage is growing as more Oregon families say their loved ones are being taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents without cause.

Oregon leaders are calling the detentions “unlawful” and “cruel,” arguing that federal agencies are operating outside the law.

On Tuesday, KOIN 6 News spoke with the family of Victor Cruz, a man state representatives say was legally able to work in the U.S., had no criminal record, and was detained by ICE due to a case of mistaken identity.

Now, lawmakers are demanding answers along with the release of more residents as the number of disappearing people continues to grow and fear permeates their communities.

Overnight, Sen. Jeff Merkley spoke on the Senate floor, speaking out against the current administration as Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici pushed ICE for answers about Cruz and others taken without due process.

“This was not the right Victor Cruz,” Bonamici said. “It’s my understanding they were looking for somebody else with the same name.”

Bonamici condemned what the Trump administration has called “mass deportation,” noting she voted against the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which allocated more than $170 billion in federal funding to DHS.

“It is wrong. In this country, everyone has due process rights, and we have seen time and time again, a violation of that basic right for people,” she said. “They’re doing it, oftentimes in a violent and inhumane way.”

KOIN 6 News reached out to ICE about each of these cases, but has not heard back amid the government shutdown.

“ICE, they say they’re not answering questions during a shutdown, but they aren’t stopping snatching people off the street during a shutdown,” Bonamici said.

Meanwhile, Rep. Maxine Dexter has been leading the charge to get a mother home and reunited with her children.

Jackie Merlos’ detention sparked outrage after she and her four U.S. children were arrested at the Canada border in June. Three months later, she remains in ICE custody despite her children being released and a judge ruling there is no legal basis to deport or detain her.

“Jackie Merlot has been caught up in this cruel migration for profit, sort of institution that Donald Trump has been building, and essentially, there’s no way out of this detention unless you die or you’re deported,” Dexter said.

The congresswoman joined Bonamici and Senators Merkley and Ron Wyden in a letter pressing for her release, writing, “Ms. Merlos holds U-Deferred Action status, a valid work permit through 2029, and has not been charged with a crime. To date, the Department of Homeland Security has not provided us with any explanation for why she was detained for so long by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and why she is still being held at NWIPC by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).”

As questions for ICE mount, representatives urged community members to continue to document ICE activities, contact their representatives’ offices, and join peaceful demonstrations to oppose the administration’s immigration policies.

“This is absolutely a time for all of us to stand up and say, ‘this is un-American, it is unconscionable, and we aren’t going to stand for it,'” Dexter said. “It is going to be the people who move the power from this administration back to themselves.”

“These policies are not popular, and the more the administration understands that, the more it is a call to my colleagues in Congress,” Rep. Bonamici said. “First of all, they have to get back to the table and get the government back open. But also, they need to understand that they are hurting the American people and the American people deserve better.”

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.