ICE Official Admits Agency NOT Required To Tell Families Where Detainees Are Moved

Imagine your loved one is detained by immigration authorities.

Now imagine being told the agency doesn’t have to tell you where they are or where they’re going.

Well-Known Vineyard Manager Detained

Moises Sotelo, a highly respected figure in Oregon’s Willamette Valley wine country, recently found himself in this exact situation.

Sotelo, known for his decades of work and recently recognized with the Vineyard Excellence Award, was detained by federal immigration agents in the early morning hours of June 12.

The detention reportedly occurred just outside a local church, following a vehicle pursuit.

His daughter, Alondra Sotelo-Garcia, described seeing her father in chains, with personal items like shoelaces and a watch removed.

His detention has certainly caused ripples through the close-knit Oregon wine community, impacting his family, his small business, and the vineyards he works with.

Shockwaves Through The Community

Anthony Van Nice, a vineyard owner who has known Sotelo for decades, expressed his strong feelings about the detention and the general treatment of immigrants.

My concern is about my friends and neighbors who are getting rounded up by Ice. We built this country on the backs of immigrant labor … To just round them up like criminals and throw them into these overcrowded detention centers, send them packing without telling their family or attorneys where they are or where they’re going, it’s inhumane. It’s a human rights issue.

His perspective highlights the deep connections forged within the agricultural sector, where immigrant labor is a foundational element.

The incident occurs amidst increasing reports of immigration enforcement activities in agricultural areas across the country.

Questions About Procedure

Victoria Reader, who works for Sotelo, shared her own unsettling experience from a week prior to his arrest.

She described agents who were reportedly masked and refused to identify themselves or state why another employee was being detained.

They didn’t identify themselves. They just came out. They didn’t even say anything. They just started trying to open the doors. I kept asking, who are you? What are you doing? And they wouldn’t answer.

According to Reader, she was told she was not allowed to follow their cars or know where her employee was being taken.

Yamhill County Commissioner Bubba King noted the climate of fear such events can create in the community, impacting the workforce and local businesses.

Conflicting Information Surfaces

Regarding Sotelo’s case, ICE provided a statement to a local news outlet alleging he “first entered the United States illegally in 2006” and has a “criminal conviction for DUI in Newberg, Oregon.”

However, Sotelo’s family maintains he arrived in the early 1990s.

Furthermore, the Yamhill County District Attorney’s office told local outlets they found no evidence of DUI charges against him.

Detainee Moved Without Notification

Following his detention, Sotelo was initially taken to a facility in Portland before being moved to Tacoma, Washington.

Anthony Van Nice attempted to visit his friend in Tacoma, only to find he had been moved again.

This is where Van Nice encountered a surprising revelation about agency protocol.

According to Van Nice, an ICE official stated the agency operates under no obligation to inform the families or attorneys of detainees about their apprehension, relocation, or potential deportation.

The Ice official told me they are under no obligation to tell the family or the attorneys of the detainees that they have been apprehended, or that they’ve been moved to another state, to another facility, or that they’ve been deported. I told him I thought that sounded wrong, and he said, ‘Well, that’s the way it is.’

Agency Confirms Policy

When a news outlet specifically inquired whether ICE had an obligation to inform families and attorneys, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reportedly responded, “that is correct.”

This confirmation clarifies the agency’s procedural stance regarding detainee notification.

Sotelo was subsequently located at a processing center over 1,500 miles away in Arizona, with his family and lawyers reportedly not receiving prior notification from the agency about this move.

Community Rallies Support

Despite the procedural complexities and lack of direct communication, the community has shown strong support for Sotelo.

A GoFundMe campaign has reportedly raised significant funds to assist.

Victoria Reader credits Sotelo with helping her establish herself in Oregon, highlighting his mentorship and positive impact on others.

The case of Moises Sotelo brings into focus the operational procedures of immigration enforcement and the challenges faced by families attempting to track detained loved ones within the system.