Posted on 02/28/2017 10:05:09 PM PST by 11th_VA
PORTLAND, Ore. — The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Portland says someone in a courtroom at the Multnomah County Justice Center helped an undocumented immigrant avoid capture by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Diddier Pacheco-Salazar was in a court hearing on Jan. 27 at the Justice Center for DUII and Reckless Driving, according to his defense attorney, John Schlosser. Schlosser said he was waiting for his client to get out of the courtroom, along with four ICE agents.
Billy Williams, the U.S. Attorney in the District of Oregon, said those agents targeted Pacheco-Salazar for his criminal history. They had his identity, date of birth, photo, and knew he was in the country illegally.
Pacheco-Salazar never came out of the courtroom.
“There are two doors, one that a judge exits through and one that individual inmates are led through. So obviously he was allowed to exit the courtroom and facility through one of those doors without being detected by the ICE agents,” Williams said.
Schlosser would not comment on what happened inside the courtroom. Williams said he does not know exactly what happened inside.
PORTLAND, Ore. — The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Portland says someone in a courtroom at the Multnomah County Justice Center helped an undocumented immigrant avoid capture by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Diddier Pacheco-Salazar was in a court hearing on Jan. 27 at the Justice Center for DUII and Reckless Driving, according to his defense attorney, John Schlosser. Schlosser said he was waiting for his client to get out of the courtroom, along with four ICE agents.
Billy Williams, the U.S. Attorney in the District of Oregon, said those agents targeted Pacheco-Salazar for his criminal history. They had his identity, date of birth, photo, and knew he was in the country illegally.
Pacheco-Salazar never came out of the courtroom.
“There are two doors, one that a judge exits through and one that individual inmates are led through. So obviously he was allowed to exit the courtroom and facility through one of those doors without being detected by the ICE agents,” Williams said.
Schlosser would not comment on what happened inside the courtroom. Williams said he does not know exactly what happened inside.
KATU’s news partners at Willamette Week are reporting a circuit court judicial referee named Monica Herranz allegedly helped Pacheco-Salazar elude agents by letting him exit a private entrance used by judges.
“Obviously, someone let him out knowing ICE was there, because there was a courtroom staffer who had originally saw the agents in the hallway before the proceedings started who made the comment something to the effect, ‘You guys are evil,'" Williams said. “So it was clear that someone associated with the court knew they were there.”
Judge Nan Waller and Trial Court Administrator Barbara Marcille spoke briefly on the phone with KATU on Tuesday. They would not comment on what happened inside the courtroom. Waller said the incident is under internal investigation.
Just two days before this, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements. Judge Waller said, at that time, they had not been able to instruct judges or staff on what to do in scenarios like this. Since then, court staff and judges have been told not to provide assistance to ICE that would not be publicly available, but they cannot impede ICE agents from operating in the courthouse.
Williams met with Judge Waller and the parties involved last week. He says ICE decided against a criminal investigation. He said there was no referral to the Oregon State Bar either.
“I told them that upon first hearing about the incident that I was very concerned and troubled by it, that I thought it was inappropriate, I thought it was unprofessional. I strongly believe that it cannot happen again,” Williams said.
If it happens again, Williams added that the outcome may be different. Next time there may be a criminal investigation.
“I felt that it was inappropriate and delegitimizes the work of ICE agents who are out there doing their jobs,” Williams said.
Schlosser told KATU Pacheco-Salazar was picked up by ICE agents on Feb. 10 outside the courthouse. He is currently being held at the Northwest Detention Center in Washington.
Judge Waller said Multnomah County Circuit Court asked ICE to consider the courthouse a sensitive location in order to limit ICE enforcement action there. She said they do not want people to fear coming to the courthouse.
“Judicial officials shouldn't be put into this position by immigration in the first place,” said Mat dos Santos, legal director of the ACLU of Oregon.
Similar to the court, dos Santos says the judicial system suffers if ICE agents can detain people at the courthouse. He says ICE should not be allowed to show up at the courthouse.
Williams said it was unlikely ICE would consider a courthouse to be a sensitive location, but that decision is up to it.
Th video now is all snow....
> “Judicial officials shouldn’t be put into this position by immigration in the first place,” said Mat dos Santos, legal director of the ACLU of Oregon.
Judicial officials could stay out of that position by choosing not to aid and abet criminal illegal aliens
the way i’m reading this weird report leads me to wonder why ICE decided to drop this case? does ICE have the authority to drop this case? i thought they were law enforcement. why is this justice guy acting like a bystander?
anyway, if the AG was not in the loop on this then, i think he needs to be now, and, if the investigation leads there, prosecute the implicated officials in this court for aiding and abetting. flouting of the law by gov’t officials, especially officers of a court of justice, can never be tolerated.
If a judge aids and adbets a known criminal, I’d say that’s grounds for impeachment.
If a judge aids and adbets a known criminal, I’d say that’s grounds for impeachment.
Ice did not do a good job. How could it leave exits unwatched?
it’s strange, but maybe they just assumed...you know, court custody, bailiffs, etc.
It’s Oregon. What did you expect, justice?
Please correct your title
Whole article needs to be corrected - I was in a rush trying to post before take off - my bad ...
So, judgments of the law are handed down at a courthouse but it's not the right place to enforce the law. Got it.
It certainly is a violation of current law, criminal charges are warranted.
Shamelessly Stolen from Freeper eyeamok.
Federal Immigration and Nationality Act
Section 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv)(b)(iii)“Any person who . . . encourages or induces an alien to . . . reside . . . knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such . . . residence is . . . in violation of law, shall be punished as provided . . . for each alien in respect to whom such a violation occurs . . . fined under title 18 . . . imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.”
Section 274 felonies under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, INA 274A(a)(1)(A):
A person (including a group of persons, business, organization, or local government) commits a federal felony when she or he:
• assists an alien s/he should reasonably know is illegally in the U.S. or who lacks employment authorization, by transporting, sheltering, or assisting him or her to obtain employment, or
• encourages that alien to remain in the U.S. by referring him or her to an employer or by acting as employer or agent for an employer in any way, or
•knowingly assists illegal aliens due to personal convictions.
Penalties upon conviction include criminal fines, imprisonment, and forfeiture of vehicles and real property used to commit the crime. Anyone employing or contracting with an illegal alien without verifying his or her work authorization status is guilty of a misdemeanor. Aliens and employers violating immigration laws are subject to arrest, detention, and seizure of their vehicles or property. In addition, individuals or entities who engage in racketeering enterprises that commit (or conspire to commit) immigration-related felonies are subject to private civil suits for treble damages and injunctive relief.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.