(UPDATED) ICE Arrests Portland 'Dreamer' Without Warrant, ACLU says

PORTLAND, OR – A Portland man who has lived in the United States since he was a child was taken from his home by immigration officials Sunday.

On March 26, the American Civil Liberties Union announced Francisco J. Rodriguez Dominguez, 25, was detained without a warrant by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at his home in Southeast Portland.

The ACLU said Dominguez, a "Dreamer," was 5 years old when his family came to Oregon from Morelia Michoacan, Mexico, adding that since 2013 he’d been a part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows some undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. since childhood to remain and seek employment.

“His family said it was terrifying and they didn’t know what to do,” said Stephen Manning, a local immigration lawyer who talked with the family. “ICE agents were banging on the door. They didn’t have a warrant, and were told they couldn’t come in, but they wouldn’t stop banging on the door.”

The ACLU said Dominguez attended Portland schools growing up and studied information technology at Mt. Hood Community College. Dominguez now works as a food pantry coordinator at Latino Network, an educational organization for the Latino community, and coaches a soccer team at Glenfair Elementary.

“Everyone loves Francisco,” said Carmen Rubio, executive director of the Latino Network. “I don’t know how we will tell the kids, families and school staff he works with about this. They are going to be heartbroken to hear he has been taken away.”

Monday afternoon, ICE spokeswoman Rose Richeson confirmed Dominguez's arrest.

"(Dominguez) was targeted for arrest based upon his guilty plea in December to a charge of Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, an offense ICE deems a threat to public safety," Richeson said in a statement. "(Dominguez) was transferred to the Northwest Detention Center and will subsequently be released on bond (March 27) pending the outcome of removal proceedings before an immigration judge with the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review."

Earlier Monday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler also provided a statement. It read, in part:

"Today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions again reiterated the Trump administration’s threat to withhold funding from sanctuary cities. His comments provide barely more information than the already broad statements provided by the president himself. It is unclear whether the AG is referring to future grants, or to funds already provided. Also unclear is his legal ability to withhold … DOJ funds from states under these conditions. It should be noted that DOJ grants to the City of Portland in our 2015-16 budget totaled just more than $3 million.

"All of this is happening in an environment that contains a lot of heated rhetoric but not a lot of facts. For example, just last week an Oregon Republican Party spokesman said that Portland’s status as a sanctuary city means we are harboring, 'criminal illegal aliens who are murdering and raping.' This statement is inaccurate and harmful.

"An ICE arrest in Portland over the weekend demonstrates how wrongheaded this statement truly is. This weekend, ICE arrested Francisco J. Rodriguez Dominguez, a 25-year-old who has lived in the United States since he was five. Far from being a violent criminal, Francisco is a respected member of the community, a student and a volunteer. This arrest does nothing to promote public safety. Instead, actions like this only serve to tear apart our community and needlessly alter the lives of our residents. The city had no role in this arrest and I am against it.

"…The City of Portland, our police bureau, and our employees do not cooperate with ICE. However, ICE has the power to operate within our city, and does not have to inform us of their activities. To learn more about your rights regarding ICE and immigration enforcement, please visit Oregon Immigration Resource here: http://oregonimmigrationresource.org/resources/?tab=deportations-and-ice-activity.”

Dozens of people rallied in front of the ICE office at 4310 S.W. Macadam Ave. in Portland around 3 p.m. Monday.

“Despite Francisco’s best efforts to make good on his mistake, ICE has taken the position that even a misdemeanor (DUII) eligible for diversion is enough to end DACA status,” said Andrea Williams, executive director of Causa Oregon, an Oregon immigrant rights organization. “This policy is tearing apart his family, our communities, and does nothing to keep us safer.”

This post has been updated to include comments from Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and ICE spokeswoman Rose Richeson.

Photo Courtesy: ACLU