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123 undocumented immigrants detained by ICE, kept in federal prison in Sheridan, Oregon


The Federal Detention Center in Sheridan, Oregon. (KATU Photo)
The Federal Detention Center in Sheridan, Oregon. (KATU Photo)
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The Mexican consulate in Portland says 10 Mexican nationals are among 123 undocumented immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE). Those detained are being kept in a medium-security prison in Sheridan.

Some of the 10 Mexican nationals have been separated from their families after leaving a federal facility in San Diego. A consulate official says one parent had her 15-day-old child taken from her.

Lawyers visited the federal detention center Thursday and are working to ensure that those detained can talk to their families and get the medical care they need; however, ICE hasn't given assurances that the immigrants will be able to meet with attorneys before they're deported.

"In spite of an organized pro-bono effort where we've offered to provide free attorneys for everyone, ICE has not provided access," Portland attorney Stephen Manning told the Associated Press.

Authorities say the immigrants entered the United States illegally.

The Mexican consulate was not sure of the breakdown of nationalities surrounding the other 113 undocumented immigrants, but says some of them are from Guatemala. Officials at the consulate are working to reconnect the families. It took them two weeks to get permission from ICE to tour the medium security prison. They say some people haven't received proper medical treatment.

Carissa Cutrell, a spokeswoman for ICE, says it is working to ensure that detainees have appropriate access to lawyers.

"As standard procedure, ICE detainees have access to visitors and immigration attorneys, in accordance with (U.S. Bureau of Prisons) standards," Cutrell said.

Democratic members of Oregon's congressional delegation plan to visit the prison soon. Sen. Jeff Merkley, one of those planning to visit, has been particularly critical of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy that has seen immigrants separated from their children.

Last month, Merkley visited a Brownsville, Texas Walmart where he says hundreds of migrant children separated from their parents were reportedly being held. He filmed the ordeal on Facebook Live, but was not successful in entering the facility.

The immigrants from Mexico and Central America are reportedly being held at the prison, located 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Salem, the state capital. The administration is sending more than 1,600 immigrants — including some parents whose children were taken away from them by U.S. officials — to federal prisons because of lack of space in other jails.

Merkley says he plans to visit those immigrants in the next couple of days.

"We’ve always treated people seeking asylum with respect. We haven’t tried to damage the families before they even get a hearing," Merkley said.

President Trump said political maneuvering from Democrats are to blame for these extreme measures along the border, something Merkley denies.

"The administration has said this is because Congress passed a law and made us do this. That is simply not true. There is no new law; it’s a new policy; it’s completely a decision by the Trump administration that they want to send a message, and they’ve said as much, 'We want to send a message to deter families abroad from seeking asylum,'" Merkley said.

Cutrell says ICE is committed to connecting family members as quickly as possible after separation so that parents know where their children are and have regular communication with them "in line with ICE policies and detention standards."

A vigil is planned in solidarity with the 123 immigrants detained to demand an end to the federal family separation policy. The vigil will be held Monday, June 18 at 5:30 PM at the Sheridan Fishing Pond South Side Park on SW Ballston Road. Several immigrants' rights groups will host the event.

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