Four Venezuelan and Mexican workers told a federal court Friday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested them without warrants in Oregon this year — seven months after a judge explicitly ordered the agency to stop doing exactly that.
The men, testifying through Spanish interpreters, described arrests where agents asked few questions before transporting them to detention facilities hours from their homes. All four said they fear re-arrest despite having pending immigration applications and no criminal records.
Their testimony came in a hearing before U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai, who in February issued an injunction barring ICE from arresting Oregon residents without warrants and without first determining whether they posed flight risks. Immigrant advocates now argue the government is ignoring that order.
The Dalles Father Detained Despite Pending Application
JCCV, a 34-year-old Venezuelan man living in The Dalles with his family, told the court he had a pending immigration application when ICE detained him without explanation and transported him to a Portland facility for multiple days. He provided no other details about the circumstances of his arrest or when it occurred.
The three other men — all in their 20s and 30s working blue-collar and service jobs — described similar experiences. None said they were informed of the legal basis for their arrests.
What February’s Injunction Required
Judge Kasubhai’s February order established clear protocols for ICE arrests in Oregon. Agents must obtain warrants before detaining immigrants and must assess whether arrestees pose flight risks before taking them into custody.
The injunction applied statewide and gave ICE explicit rules for conducting arrests that comply with constitutional standards. Immigration attorneys representing the class of Oregon immigrants now seek enforcement of those rules, arguing the agency has systematically violated the court’s directive.
The case tests whether federal immigration enforcement can operate above judicial oversight — even when a district court has issued binding restrictions on arrest procedures within its jurisdiction.
Key Points
- Four immigrant workers testified ICE arrested them without warrants despite February court order requiring warrants
- Judge Mustafa Kasubhai’s injunction explicitly bars warrantless ICE arrests in Oregon and requires flight-risk assessments
- All four men had pending immigration applications and no criminal records when detained
https://www.courthousenews.com/ice-accused-of-continuing-warrantless-arrests-in-oregon-despite-injunction/ – September 19, 2026
