Cruz is a man from Mexico who has lived in the Hillsboro area for nearly 30 years with no criminal record, according to friends and family. Advocates say the grandfather’s detainment by immigration agents was a case of mistaken identity.
On Friday, Cruz’s daughter, Atziri Cruz, told KOIN 6 News Reporter Joelle Jones that he was released.
According to his family, despite having Temporary Protected Status and a valid work permit, Cruz was pulled over by ICE agents near SW First Avenue and Jefferson Street in Hillsboro on Oct. 14 and remained in custody for more than three weeks.
Cruz later told his family that on the day of his arrest, after giving an ICE agent his work permit and ID, he was told that “work permits don’t matter anymore.”
According to witnesses, agents told Cruz they were looking for another man named Victor Cruz, who was wanted on DUII charges. Even after realizing they had the wrong person, the family said agents decided to detain him anyway.
Members of the Oregon community, including Metro Councilor Juan Carlos González and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, had rallied for his release.
After Bonamici sent a letter to ICE leadership calling for his release and visiting Cruz at the Tacoma detention center on Monday, she celebrated the news shortly after it was announced.
“Victor Cruz is an upstanding member of the Hillsboro community who never should have been detained by ICE,” Bonamici said in a statement. “I’m grateful that his wrongful detention has come to an end and that he is reunited with his family. I met with Victor at the ICE facility in Tacoma earlier this week and appreciated his kindness and strength despite his wrongful detention. I’m grateful to have worked with his family and friends in the Hillsboro community, as well as his legal team, to secure his release. It is unacceptable that ICE continues to terrorize communities and tear families apart. I will do everything I can to hold those responsible accountable.”
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.
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