The recent arrest of four farmworkers in Woodburn, Oregon, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has heightened anxiety in the region’s agricultural sector.
On August 7, around 6 a.m., the workers were on their way from Woodburn to Canby to pick blueberries when they were intercepted by ICE agents.
According to the Oregon for All Coalition, officers broke the passenger window of their van and detained four workers—three men and one woman.
Two other women and a teenage girl were released during the incident.
All four arrested farmworkers hail from Guatemala and are indigenous Mam people residing in Woodburn.
Advocacy groups are voicing concerns over the civil rights implications of detaining these individuals without access to legal representation.
Reyna Lopez, the executive director of PCUN, Oregon’s farmworker union, noted she learned of the arrests from community members through calls and text messages early in the morning.
“I woke up first thing in the morning around like 6:45-7 (a.m.) to calls and texts, and I just kept getting more messages,” Lopez shared.
“Folks from the community were sending me images that had been shared on social media about the workers that were detained by ICE.
I saw the scary picture of the smashed driver’s side window. It was quite a sight in the morning.”
Attorneys from the Oregon Equity Corps, affiliated with PCUN and the Oregon for All Coalition, rushed to intervene, only to be denied access to the detainees at the Portland ICE office.
Lopez expressed her concerns, stating, “Imagine being in a facility with ICE agents… being arrested by them, unable to understand what’s happening and cut off from legal help.
As Mam speakers, they already face many additional barriers in understanding their rights.”
She emphasized that the refusal to allow attorney visits, which she claimed was a common practice, sets a troubling precedent regarding the rights of detainees.
“It doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you’re on; on this, this isn’t right.
We need to offer people due process because this is a basic constitutional right,” Lopez added.
“If it doesn’t end here, tomorrow it could be anybody else.”
Lopez reported that some of the detainees have been transferred out of Portland, complicating advocates’ efforts to track them and legally assist them.
In a fortunate turn, attorneys were able to file an emergency habeas corpus petition to delay the deportation of at least one individual.
“We know that we did lose some of them; they’re not in Portland anymore,” Lopez stated.
“When that happens, it becomes much harder for us to block deportation or to find them afterward.”
Court records indicate that one of the detainees, identified as L-J-P-L, an asylum seeker, was sent to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, on the same day of the arrest.
This incident arrives during the peak of August, which is critical for Oregon’s agricultural sector, marking the height of the harvest season when the state sees the highest output of crops.
Farmworkers are voicing concerns about whether further ICE activity will continue, as it directly impacts their decision-making and risk assessment regarding work.
Lopez highlighted the essential role these workers play, stating, “I’m not trying to be political about this; it’s just a fact that farmworkers are the backbone of the agricultural industry.
They are the reason we can meet many of our harvesting goals. Growers can’t do it alone; Oregonians can’t do it alone.
We need farmworkers, and over 60% of farm laborers in Oregon are immigrant workers.”
The arrest comes just two months after the detention of Moises Sotelo, a notable figure in the local wine industry and a vineyard labor company owner.
Sotelo was apprehended on June 12 as he left for work, an event that sent shockwaves throughout the local immigrant farmworker community.
He was subsequently moved between various holding facilities, including the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, and was reported to face deportation back to Mexico, from which he had emigrated over 30 years ago.
In the aftermath of these arrests, farmworkers are re-evaluating their daily routines, some contemplating whether the risks of leaving their homes for work are justified.
However, Lopez conveys the significant economic stakes involved, asserting that fear among workers translates into broader impacts on labor and the agricultural industry.
“We know that when people are scared to go to work, it impacts our industries in a really big way,” she warned.
“Oregon’s largest industry, agriculture, is threatened to grind to a halt.
If that happens, food spoils in the fields and workers really can’t earn a living, which is critical for them.”
Since the initiation of the nationwide immigration crackdown, local officials and the police in Woodburn have reassured the community of their support for immigrants, emphasizing adherence to the sanctuary law.
Oregon is designated as a sanctuary state, which prohibits public bodies, including schools and police departments, from inquiring about immigration status or participating in federal immigration enforcement efforts.
Lopez feels more secure moving forward with the backing of city officials, particularly with events such as Fiesta Mexicana approaching.
She serves as the grand marshal for the Fiesta celebration and believes that the city’s commitment will facilitate a smooth event despite the prevailing fears of ICE actions.
In response to the arrests, PCUN has ramped up its presence in Woodburn by deploying more ICE-trained monitors to track activities and maintain a staffed hotline around the clock.
“There are tons of volunteers out this week,” Lopez noted.
“We are going to be on high alert.”
image source from：portlandtribune
