BACKGROUND

José Cruz- Morales is a Mexican migrant from Oaxaca. He is a hardworking father, who has been a dedicated member of our Portland - Vancouver community for over 20 years.

In July 2025 he was detained by ICE while picking up tools for work at Home Depot. He has been fearlessly fighting his case. He is one of many fathers and has been a community leader within the NW Detention Center (NWDC). He has been supporting other detainees, and many turn to him for support. He shares his commissary and uses his multilingual skills to build camaraderie with other detainees. He believes in helping one another within the NWDC system.

MEDICAL NEGLECT AND INJUSTICE

He has been suffering severe medical neglect. José has 4 broken ribs from brute force when being arrested, and more damage to an already injured arm, where he’s lost movement in most of his left hand. The NWDC has denied him pain meds, falsely claiming it’s because he got the injury before detainment, which is not true.

Despite facing mistreatment and inhumane conditions, Jose has built a vibrant and loving community within detention. He’s formed close bonds with people from a wide range of nationalities and backgrounds.

UNJUST TRANSFER

On Sunday, Oct 19, in a move intended to isolate detainees from their legal and community support. Jose Cruz- Morales and other detainees were unjustly transferred in the middle of the night from the NWDC in Tacoma to the GEO Central Louisiana ICE Center.

• He, his family and attorney were left in the dark for over 14 hours, unable to locate him in the system. A tactic aimed at disappearing.

• Jose and those unjustly transferred had upcoming court dates in the following days.

• This unjust transfer strategically isolates him from his family, lawyers, and community advocates in the Pacific NW, jeopardizing his right to a fair legal process.

• ICE weaponized “COVID-19” as a pretext for his transfer, despite providing no tests or medical care. Revealing a pattern of using health protocols as a tool of control and isolation.

• GEO group and DHS additional excuse was to make space for at least 120 more migrants. The detention center’s full capacity is 1575, and as of 10/19 there were 1562 people in NWDC.

Response from WA Mexican Consulate

“He was transferred. We didn’t receive any notification at all for the deportation of our nationals. They are circulating in the detention centers across the country. They don’t send us any notification if they send someone. We don’t even know how much they have.

It’s out of our reach. You should reach out to our consulate in New Orleans. Anyways, we have been in contact with Mexico to report on the situation.

Unfortunately, we have no diplomatic power with other consulates or ICE. It goes beyond our reach even though we express our concerns. We don’t have that power. We can just say please do this or send communication to them requiring info but we cannot order them to stop transfer. The decision is up to them”

DHS PATTERNS AND GUANTANAMO BAY

Jose’s example is not an isolated case and reveals a pattern of what happened to Jose Medina Andrade, a Venezuelan migrant who was unjustly transferred to multiple detention centers before eventually being deported to Guantanamo Bay earlier this year.

Jose Medina Andrade similarly disappeared at 3am from his detention center in El Paso back in February, when he was taken to Guantanamo Bay where he was tortured at the hands of the US government. This is a deliberate pattern by DHS/ICE to disrupt due process and break the spirits of those fighting their cases.

OUR DEMANDS FROM JOSE’S CASE AND SYSTEMIC CHANGE

Through our campaign for Jose, the International Migrants Alliance, Capybara Colectiva and Deportation Defense Coalition in Oregon, is asking our community to add your voice to our efforts by signing on as individuals and organizations to show the breadth of support for Jose and all migrants.

We demand Governor Bob Ferguson and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal:

We denounce ICE’s cruel treatment of Jose and the traumatizing experience they are putting him, his family, and community through.

• Demand that José is transferred back to WA state and given a bond hearing so he can have his medical condition addressed immediately.

  STOP UNJUST TRANSFERS: We call upon Washington State legislators to STOP unjust transfers and demand that you use your power to stop the practice of unjustly transferring detainees out of our region where there families are location, and, a tactic aimed to break families and sabotage legal cases.

• MEDICAL ATTENTION FOR JOSE: Intervene for Medical Attention and demand that he receive immediate medical attention for the broken ribs caused by his violent detention by ICE officers.

• URGE MEXICAN CONSULATE TO USE THEIR DIPLOMATIC POWER: We demand that the Mexican consulate intervene and use their diplomatic power to ensure that José’s rights are upheld in detention by ensuring he receives adequate medical attention and that is returned to the Northwest Detention Center to receive the community support and due process for his case.

We will continue to clamor for justice until all migrants are free from here to our homelands!