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While surrounded by a group of supporters, Francisco Aguirre speaks about his asylum at Augustana Lutheran Church on Friday. Earlier that day federal immigration agents went to his home to detain him, he said.
(Kasia Hall/ The Oregonian)
Francisco Aguirre, a local labor activist originally from El Salvador, took refuge Friday in a Northeast Portland church after he said federal immigration agents went to his home to detain him.
While standing at the altar of Augustana Lutheran Church, the 35-year-old Fairview resident said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived at his house Friday morning, but he asked them to leave when they didn't provide a search warrant.
"I've been a leader in this community for so many years," Aguirre said. "I'm part of this community, and this is where I belong. This is where I want to stay."
Aguirre was deported to El Salvador in 2000 after a conviction for drug trafficking offenses, ICE said in a statement. Aguirre came to the agency's attention again in August after he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Clackamas County, ICE said.
Aguirre said he applied earlier this year for a U Visa and doesn't know why the agency contacted him now. The visa provides legal status to victims of certain crimes who help authorities investigate crimes, according the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Office.
He acknowledged that he was deported 14 years ago, but declined to comment further. His lawyer could not be immediately reached for comment.
Aguirre was involved in the Workers' Organizing Committee that went on to found Voz Workers' Rights Education Project, nonprofit organization that mostly helps male Latino immigrants find work in Portland. He currently serves as the MLK Jr. Worker Center coordinator for the group.
Churches elsewhere in the country have been offering sanctuary to illegal immigrants after President Barack Obama announced that he wouldn't take any executive action on immigration legislation until after the November election.
ICE agents do not make arrests in sensitive locations such as schools and churches, said Andrew S. Muñoz, a public affairs officer for ICE.
Aguirre, a father of three, said he plans to stay at the church for as "long as it takes."
"We all make mistakes," he said. "We all have the right to fix those mistakes."
-- Kasia Hall