Community members continue to call for the release of a Hillsboro man who was unlawfully detained after being mistaken for someone else. City officials, friends and family of Victor Cruz held a press conference Wednesday, Oct. 29, outside the Washington County Courthouse, showing solidarity for the man they say is wrongfully being held in an immigration detention center in Tacoma, Washington. “I am worried for his mental health and his physical health, as conditions in the facility are abhorrent. Food is worse than what they feed inmates in jail, and the portions are very small, often leaving him hungry,” Cruz’s daughter, Atziri, said. “They are packed 80 to a room with no privacy, three toilets and three showers for 80 men to share.” Cruz, who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 30 years and holds both deferred action status and a valid work permit, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers Oct. 14 after being pulled over while driving near First and Jefferson streets in Hillsboro. According to family and friends, ICE agents told Cruz they were looking for another man with the same name — a “Victor Cruz” from the Pacific Northwest who has multiple DUI convictions and a hit-and-run offense. Agents reportedly disregarded Cruz’s ID and work permit and continued to detain him despite acknowledging the mismatch. “(ICE) never presented a warrant nor reason for detaining him,” Atziri Cruz said. “They took him to the Portland ICE facility, even after they knew they had the wrong person in custody. They checked his criminal record, found nothing and decided to transfer him to Tacoma anyway.” On Oct. 24, U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley sent a letter to Camilla Wamsley, director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Seattle, urging Cruz’s release. In that letter, the lawmakers noted that Cruz had not been entered into ICE’s online detainee locator system — a “direct violation of ICE’s standard to locate detainees who have been in custody for more than 48 hours,” they wrote. As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, Cruz was still not logged in the system. If Cruz were properly listed in that system, Erin Palmer — a community advocate and family friend who led the press conference — said people would be able to locate him, send messages and deposit funds into his commissary account. Instead, Cruz has been forced to memorize phone numbers and call loved ones whenever he can, Palmer said. “If they move him, the only way we would know is if he calls us and tells us he was moved,” Palmer said. ICE officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the News-Times. Growing fears in the community While community members gathered to plead for Cruz’s release, local leaders and advocates also used the moment to call attention to others detained by ICE — and to the growing fear the agency’s actions have spread across Washington County. “Yes, today we are here to demand Victor Cruz’s release. But as you have heard, this is more than one raid, one headline. It’s about who we are as a community and what we will stand for,” Washington County Commissioner Nafisa Fai said. “Families should not have to hide in their own neighborhoods. Kids should not have to starve because parents are afraid to go to the grocery store. Kids should not miss school because of ICE.” Hillsboro Mayor Beach Pace echoed those concerns, condemning what she described as “disgusting” conduct from ICE and acknowledging the agency’s impact on Latino-owned restaurants and businesses that have lost customers living in fear of leaving their homes. “If you’re wondering what you can do, shop. If you’re wondering what you can do, eat. If you’re wondering what you can do, use your voice,” Pace said. “If you see ICE activity in progress, record it. And if you’re close enough, ask the person being detained who can be contacted so you can let their loved ones know.” “This movement is bigger than one man, and it doesn’t end today,” Palmer added. “We will keep showing up, we’ll keep demanding transparency and we’ll keep fighting for the safety and dignity of every member of this community.”