NEWBERG — Families and immigrant advocates are demanding greater transparency and access to legal counsel after two Oregon men, including a Woodburn pastor, were detained by federal immigration agents in late August and transferred thousands of miles away to Louisiana.
More than 65 community members gathered at the Chehalem Cultural Center on Sept. 3 to show their support for the two men at a press conference hosted by the nonprofit Unidos Bridging Community.
Juan Miguel Aldape-Palacios, described as a longtime Newberg resident and father of three children, was reportedly detained while purchasing supplies for a construction job at a Lowe's in McMinnville at approximately 7:45 a.m. Aug. 24.
Unidos said Aldape-Palacios was with two coworkers at that time. Unidos said the men were approached by plainclothes, masked federal immigration agents in unmarked vehicles.
Fidel Cordero Garcia, a Woodburn-area resident and pastor, was detained the same day while at work, his family and advocates said.
Both men were initially taken to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, before being transferred to Louisiana, their families said.
The transfers, advocates and their families said, have made it difficult for relatives and attorneys to communicate with them and provide support.
"We all miss Jual Miguel Aldape-Palacios, and we will continue to be his voice today and always, because a human being should never lose his voice, no matter where they're from," said Ashleen Aldape, Aldape-Palacios' daughter-in-law.
Ximena Van Dyke, rapid response coordinator for Unidos, said Aldape-Palacios was not presented with a judicial warrant at the time of his arrest and that his family and Oregon-based attorney struggled to determine where he was being held in the days after his arrest.
The nonprofit has served Yamhill County since 2011 and provides rapid response, immigration impact support, community education, family preparedness, legal navigation and community-based support.
Ashleen Aldape said the family initially learned he had been taken to Portland before his transfer to Tacoma. Family members, she said, traveled to Washington with the hopes of visiting him.
"The interaction was disappointing because we were greeted with disrespect and sarcasm," Aldape said.
Aldape said Aldape-Palacios later disappeared from the federal detainee locator.
When the family was later informed that Aldape-Palacios had been transferred to Louisiana, his sister traveled and saw him on Aug. 29. Aldape said his sister described him as appearing to be in shock and unable to immediately recognize her.
The separation has been particularly difficult on the family because Aldape-Palacios helps support and care for a young son who is a U.S. citizen and has a speech development disorder and anxiety, his daughter-in-law told reporters.
The family has also struggled financially in his absence, she said.
People attend a press conference at the Chehalem Cultural Center on Sept. 3 in Newberg after two Oregon men were detained by federal immigration agents.
Aldape said Aldape-Palacios' family last communicated with him on Aug. 31, when he sounded frightened over the phone and asked them to keep their phones nearby in case he could call. The family said the money they deposited into his account was not transferred with him to the Louisiana facility, and that each attempt to call results in a message indicating that Aldape-Palacios has reached his allotted number of calls, despite not completing any.
Jose Garcia, an Unidos staff member, read a statement written by Aldape-Palacios' eldest son, sharing memories of his father, including purchasing an above-ground pool for his family, celebrating the Fourth of July, and other moments he said displayed his father's desire to provide a better life.
"These past 11 days have been the most difficult time of our lives," his son said.
Aldape-Palacios' family is also concerned about his access to food and other necessities while he is detained.
Cordero Garcia's family has raised similar concerns.
Debbie Cabrales, executive director of the Woodburn nonprofit Centro de Servicios para Campesinos, spoke on behalf of Cordero Garcia's family.
Cordero Garcia is the father of five U.S. citizens, including an active-duty Marine who is stationed in North Carolina.
He has lived in the United States for 25 years, according to Cabrales and his family. The Woodburn pastor had previously received military parole in place, a protection intended to help military families remain together.
Cordero Garcia's 17-year-old son, Isac, told the Statesman Journal his father was detained five days before his son's 21st birthday, when he would have become eligible to petition for Fidel to be granted legal status.
Cordero Garcia was also transferred first to Tacoma and later to Louisiana. Cabrales said the family went 24 hours without knowing where Cordero Garcia was.
Cordero Garcia also has diabetes and relies on insulin. His family, Cabrales said, learned he had received a single insulin dose.
"We are here today because his family deserves answers," Cabrales said. "These families deserve answers. They deserve transparency. They deserve due process, and most importantly, they deserve to have their fathers, husbands and loved ones home."
Both cases have drawn attention from the office of U.S Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Oregon.
Brandon Jordan, district deputy director for Salinas, said Salinas supports Aldape-Palacios' family and criticized his detention. Salinas also decried Cordero Garcia's detainment in a statement Sept. 2.
Salinas' office has been working with Unidos Bridging Community, the ACLU of Louisiana and Democratic lawmakers from Louisiana to help Aldape-Palacios contact an attorney and obtain legal support.
Jordan said the congresswoman also plans to continue pressing for transparency, access to counsel and due process in the immigration detention system.
"Every one of those 2,500 individuals represents a family and a community member that's been ripped apart across the country," Jordan said, referring to those who've been arrested across Oregon under the second Trump administration.
The figures come from the latest ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project. The data also show that, for the majority, arrests and detentions in Oregon and across the U.S. continue to involve people with no prior convictions, despite the administration's claim that enforcement is targeting criminals.
Van Dyke said the cases raise broader concerns about how immigration detainees and their families are being treated.
"This is not simply about Juan Miguel Aldape-Palacios and Fidel Cordero Garcia," Van Dyke said. "Unless we are willing to confront the system that allowed this to happen, there will be another family, another transfer, another child waiting for their parent to come home and another attorney struggling to locate their client."
The nonprofit is calling on federal, state and local officials to take "tangible" action, including: Immediate access to communication, transparency regarding detention and transfers, meaningful access to legal counsel and legal documents, access to funds and basic support following transfers, clear identification, accountability, and independent oversight of federal immigration enforcement operations in Oregon, greater scrutiny of out-of-state detention transfers and "immediate engagement" from elected officials.
"We need to stop accepting that this is simply 'how the system works,'" Van Dyke said in a statement. "A system that moves someone thousands of miles from home and then leaves his family unable to communicate with him demands scrutiny and accountability."
Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at [email protected] on X @DianneLugo or Bluesky @diannelugo.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Families seek transparency after ICE detains, transfers Oregon men