Portland family worried after father is snatched by federal agents, taken to ICE facility

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Stories continue flowing in about neighbors and family members in Oregon being detained by federal agents.

Last Wednesday, a man was detained while on a walk with his wife in North Portland. The family is now opening up to tell their emotional story.

This all comes amid ongoing protests outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in South Portland, the very site where Juan Barbosa was first processed in a lengthy trip bouncing around different ICE facilities around the country.

Juan’s family told KOIN 6 News he is a hard-working man living in the U.S. on a work visa as a welder for more than 30 years with no criminal record.

His family said they miss him more than words can describe, staying in touch intermittently through the occasional phone call as they worry for Juan’s health.

“He is a huge part of this family, and he has a lot of life in him,” said Irlanda Buenrostro Barbosa, Juan’s eldest daughter.

She said her dad and her mother, Maria, were on the way to their favorite walking spot in North Portland when they were suddenly surrounded by masked men who appeared to be law enforcement on October 15.

The interaction was caught on camera by a bystander. In the video, the bystander asks if the family is okay, with Maria exclaiming, “He had documents!”

“No paper was shown. They also didn’t care to validate his status,” Irlanda said.

The group took Juan to a nearby park to search him, his daughter said. She said they didn’t ask Juan for his work visa, not until he arrived at the South Portland ICE facility.

The next morning, Juan was shipped to Tacoma, Washington. A few days later, he was taken to Mesa, Arizona. Since then, he’s been in Natchez, Mississippi.

Irlanda and her family haven’t been able to find Juan’s name through an inmate tracking system.

“It’s hard to understand why this is happening,” Irlanda said.

Irlanda and her family last saw Juan in Tacoma, through glass.

They’ve only been able to have brief phone calls with their father, including one that KOIN 6 News reporter Ariel Iacobazzi witnessed while interviewing the family. The phone conversation was filled with emotion as Juan spoke with his wife and family. They’re unsure when they’ll hear from him again.

“You don’t know what’s happening in those hours that you don’t hear from him. So hearing from him is all we have right now,” Irlanda said.

The phone call lasted for less than five minutes, with Juan’s wife, daughter, son, and grandson all giving him their I love yous. It meant a lot to the family, who learned from Juan that he’s been keeping his spirits up as much as he can. 

However, the family fears Juan is getting sick. He has diabetes and has said he’s been given very little water and nothing more than a couple of slices of bread and cheese to eat. 

KOIN 6 News reached out to the officials with ICE, asking why Juan was detained, why he’s been moved around and what conditions he’s been living in. We’ve yet to hear back.

The family has set up a GoFundMe to help in their effort to get Juan back home.