Rep. Andrea Salinas’ Statement from Unidos Press Conference on Newberg Resident Detained by ICE

NEWBERG, OR - Today,Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06) issued the following statement at a press conference hosted by Unidos Bridging Community. The press conference featured the family of Juan Miguel Aldape-Palacios, a father of three and longtime Newberg resident, who was detained by ICE last week in McMinnville.

In her statement, Rep. Salinas condemned the treatment of Aldape-Palacios and the toll his detention has taken on his family. After initially being held in Tacoma, Washington, Aldape-Palacios was transferred more than 2,000 miles away to Louisiana, creating new barriers to legal representation and communication with his wife and children. Salinas said her office is working with Unidos, ACLU Louisiana, and members of Louisiana's congressional delegation to help connect him with legal support.

Brandon Jordan, a representative for Congresswoman Salinas, read the statement on her behalf. See below for the statement:

For the past twenty-two years, Juan Miguel Aldape has lived in Oregon, worked hard, and has had no trouble with the law - all to provide a better life for his family.

Juan Miguel is a loving husband and father. He is a role model for his children, and he has shown them what it looks like to work hard every day to provide for the people you love. He is also a caregiver for one of his children, who has special needs.

Without him, the Aldape family is not only coping with the absence of a father and husband. They have lost a caregiver and source of financial support. I'm furious that the Trump Administration arrested Juan Miguel, and my heart breaks for the Aldape family.

Last week, ICE agents arrested Juan Miguel in McMinnville and took him to the detention center in Tacoma, Washington. According to Juan Miguel, in the middle of the night, detention staff corralled roughly 200 detainees, separated them from the rest of the people in the facility, and told them they would be placed on a flight to Louisiana. Juan Miguel told his family that he and others were intimidated and pressured into signing a document. The document was written in English, and he was not told the purpose of it. Nobody seems to know exactly what Juan Miguel signed.

Then Juan Miguel disappeared from the ICE detainee locator that his family and attorney was using to track him.

For hours, they did not know his location. He was no longer listed in the online detainee locator system, and his family and attorney received no clear information about where he had been taken. Eventually, they learned that Juan Miguel had been transferred more than two thousand miles away to Louisiana.

That transfer created one barrier after another.

The attorney who had been representing Juan Miguel could no longer represent him after he was transferred to Louisiana. His family was forced to begin searching for new legal representation in another state.

Juan Miguel has repeatedly tried to call his wife and children, but according to his family, with every attempt, he is instructed that he has already reached his limit on calls, even though he has not successfully completed a single one.

His family put money into his account so he could call home and purchase food and other basic necessities. He has been unable to access those funds. Money his family had already deposited while he was detained in Tacoma did not follow him when he was transferred.

His sister had to travel across several states simply to see him in person. When she finally did, she said Juan Miguel's mental health was declining. She reported that he appeared to be in shock and initially did not recognize her.

Think about what we are asking this family to endure.

Over the past year, I have conducted oversight visits of the ICE processing facility in Portland and the detention facility in Tacoma, Washington. From these visits, it's clear that ICE is intentionally creating chaos and sowing confusion around immigration enforcement to carry out President Trump's cruel and inhumane immigration agenda.

Juan Miguel's story is not unique. Despite promising on the campaign trail to only go after the worst of the worst, the Trump Administration has arrested more than 2,500 individuals across Oregon, many of whom have no criminal history. Every one of those 2,500 individuals represents a family and a community ripped apart. Across the country, Human Rights Watch reports that 52 people have died in ICE detention at the hands of the Trump Administration.

I'm grateful to Juan Miguel's family for coming forward to share their story. Every Oregonian deserves to understand exactly who is hurt by Trump's cruel and inhumane immigration policies. Across our state, people are afraid to leave their homes. They are hesitant to buy groceries, and they are questioning whether to go to work and send their children to school.

No one deserves to live in fear. My team and I will continue doing everything we can to support Juan Miguel and his family. We have been working with Unidos, ACLU Louisiana, and my Democratic colleagues from Louisiana to contact Juan Miguel and get him the legal support he deserves. We will continue doing everything we can to support Juan Miguel and his family.

In Congress, I will keep demanding transparency from ICE, fighting to protect access to legal counsel and due process, and pushing for reforms that bring real accountability to ICE, CBP, and our immigration system.

Juan Miguel's family deserves answers, and Oregonians deserve a government that respects everyone's rights and basic dignity.

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