Friday, October 13, 2017

Bonamici: ICE Still Silent on Washington County Courthouse Incident

Hillsboro, OR - October 13, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) followed up on her calls for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to fully investigate the actions of ICE officers toward a U.S. citizen outside of the Washington County, Oregon Courthouse.

On September 18, 2017, plainclothes ICE officers confronted Mr. Isidro Andrade-Tafolla, a long-time employee of Washington County and a U.S. citizen, and demanded that he show his identification. When they apparently that he was not the person they were looking for, the agents then left without identifying themselves or providing any explanation or apology. Within days, Congresswoman Bonamici asked ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan and ICE Regional Supervisor Elizabeth Godfrey to investigate the incident and provide answers about ICE agency policies for interrogation and apprehension. At the time of this press release, Congresswoman Bonamici has yet to receive any response to her inquiries.

“What happened to Isidro and his wife was inexcusable and ICE failing to answer our questions about the incident is unacceptable. The public deserves to know if these agents followed ICE procedure when stopping and questioning Isidro. On that day, Isidro had no idea who the people confronting them were, or what rights they had to demand personal information. It’s deeply troubling that I have received no indication that ICE officials, either locally here in Oregon or at the leadership level in Washington, are investigating the incident near the Washington County Courthouse. Without clear answers, there is a risk that this will continue to happen. Federal agents should, at the very least, properly identify themselves when interacting with members of the public. Failure to do so is a serious public safety issue.”

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