Central Oregon residents arrested by ICE
Published 2:51 pm Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Two Bend residents are lodged in the Tacoma Northwest Detention Center after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Latino Community Association confirmed Tuesday.
The Association was also trying to confirm if two people taken into custody in Madras on Tuesday morning were in Tacoma.
“Right now we’re seeing that ICE is coming out in the mornings,” said Rowan Jones, immigration and advocacy program manager of the Latino Community Association. “And then because they do not have a place to detain people, they are then heading back as soon as possible to their respective offices, but the only way we know for sure is often after the fact.”
A video, posted on Facebook Tuesday morning by the Latino Community Association, shows two individuals approaching a group of vehicles at the Love’s gas station in Madras. The individuals are masked and wearing bulletproof vests in an army green with Police, US Border Patrol in yellow on the back.
An arrest is not made on the video, however the Latino Community Association said in the posts’ caption that it was immigration enforcement: “This video is circulating on social media, and we have received several reports about the presence of ICE in the Madras area.
The Association is in contact with Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition, who informed us that they received reports of activity in the area; however, there are no confirmed arrests so far.
The Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition works in immigrant justice and encourages people to call 1-888-622-1510 if they see immigration enforcement officers or a detainment happen.
This is the second report of ICE presence in Central Oregon in the past two weeks.
On July 8, the Latino Community Association received reports of two ICE arrests at 6:45 a.m. in Bend near the Deschutes Memorial Chapel and Gardens. Video footage posted on Facebook shows two masked individuals in bulletproof vests in an unmarked red Jeep SUV and a gray Dodge Durango.
Bend Police Department and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office were not aware of an ICE presence in the area.
The Latino Community Association has been in contact with the families of those impacted and confirmed that the individuals have been transported to Tacoma. Latino Community Association is offering the families wraparound support services.
Leading up to the recent arrests, the Latino Community Association canceled its annual Latino Fest for the second year in a row this year due to concerns about immigration enforcement.
“Just showing up at this event could endanger families because ICE officers can approach anyone in a public space,” the announcement said in April. “… This decision was not made lightly. Latino Fest has been a beloved celebration of Latin American heritage in Central Oregon, bringing together thousands of community members each year at Sahalee Park. However, the safety and wellbeing of our community must always come first.”
The Latino Community Association works to confirm detentions by looking for patterns in activity, vehicles that have been previously associated with ICE, people in unidentified tactical gear and calls from families affected.
“It’s really important to the best of our abilities to remain as calm as possible and to not share unverified information, especially if you were not at the scene and somebody passes you a video or a photo,” Jones said. “If you don’t know where the photo was taken or when, you need to tell that person who saw that to call PIRC immediately.”
