The Rt Revd Michael Hanley, Bishop of Oregon, released a statement yesterday in support of Francisco J. Rodriguez Dominguez, a 25-year-old man arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Portland over the weekend.
CNN reported on the arrest:
Federal immigration agents in Oregon showed up at the home of a so-called “dreamer” over the weekend and whisked him away without a warrant, the American Civil Liberties Union said. …
ICE agents grabbed Rodriguez — a Mexican native who arrived in the United States at the age of 5 — on Sunday at his home in southeastern Portland, the ACLU said. …
Rodriguez’s priest, the Rev. Roberto Maldonado of Holy Cross/Santa Cruz Episcopal Church, said Rodriguez called him while agents were at the door.
Maldonado was among community members who rallied in support of Rodriguez yesterday. Rev. Chris Craun of St. Michael & All Angels (Portland) read Bishop Hanley’s statement:
I write today as a member of the religious community in Oregon asking that Francisco J. Rodriguez Dominguez be immediately released from detention. He was detained by ICE agents without a warrant at his home in southeast Portland.
Francisco works for a local community organization coordinating a food pantry for low income families and he coaches a soccer team. He is a member and volunteer at Holy Cross Episcopal Church where he is assisting the church in its communication efforts. This is not an individual that our government should be concerned about nor take action to detail.
Francisco is a member of our community working and worshipping in one of our churches. He does not represent a threat to the community and his arrest is a miscarriage of justice which does no good to anyone.
Law enforcement priorities such as these serve to undermine public safety and sows fear in the communities in which we live and worship. Such policies are against all that we believe in as members of the Christian faith and as Americans.
The Rt. Rev. Michael J. Hanley
Episcopal Bishop of Western Oregon
Rodriguez was released on bond yesterday, pending a hearing before a federal immigration judge. Read more at CNN, and see video of Monday’s rally via the Diocese of Oregon.