He Called Police For A Car Break-In; They Drove Him To ICE

TUKWILA, WA — Wilson Rodriguez Macarreno, a Honduran national living near Seattle, called police on a man who he thought was breaking into his car. But then something extraordinary happened: the cops let the trespasser go and instead put Rodriguez Macarreno in handcuffs. Now, a lawyer for Rodriguez Macarreno says the 32-year-old father of three — who has no criminal record — remains held in a detention center in the custody of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. He could be deported.

Rodriguez Macarreno, a carpenter with 3-year-old twins and a 1-year-old, came to the United States illegally around 2004 to escape gang violence, his lawyer, Luis Cortes, told The Seattle Times. On Thursday, the Tukwila Police Department opted to hold Rodriguez Macarreno after running his name through the federal National Crime Information Center database.

Tukwila Police told the newspaper they generally ignore ICE information that pops up and don't inquire about immigration status. But on Thursday, dispatchers told police there was an ICE warrant attached to Rodriguez Macarreno's name.

"Officers confirmed with the issuing agency that the warrant was valid and transferred the individual with the warrant over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement who ultimately placed him in custody for the warrant," police said in a Facebook post.

Cortes, the lawyer, is now trying to prevent his client from being deported. He told CNN that ICE also took Rodriguez Macarreno into custody in 2004, but that his client missed his court date. At the time, he did not have an address where authorities could send a court notice.

Cortes — himself recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that protects young immigrants from deportation — is considering reopening that case.

Meanwhile, local police say Tukwila officers will not be responsive to administrative warrants issued by ICE nor will they collaborate with the agency.

"The Department does not respond to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement requests to detain individuals on their behalf. Nor do we respond to requests to notify them of contacts that we may have with undocumented immigrants," police said on Facebook.

Photo credit: ICE