ICE detains 2 employees connected to an Oregon vineyard services company

Two employees of a vineyard services company in Newberg have been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including the owner, according to one of the company’s employees.

The owner was detained by immigration authorities around 5:30 a.m. on Thursday about two blocks from his home in Newberg, according to Victoria Reader, who serves as one of the managers for the small company.

Another employee who worked as a truck driver was also detained by ICE outside his house in Newberg on Friday morning when Reader said she was picking him up.

The Oregonian/OregonLive is not naming the employees at this time because full details of their detainments, including whether they have legal representation and the allegations against them, are not known.

Reader said she doesn’t know why employees of the company are apparently being targeted. She said word of the detainments has spread among vintners and workers in Yamhill County. The company, which opened in April 2024, has around 10 employees, she said.

“People are very angry,” she said. “And very sad and scared.”

Immigration enforcement has been ramping up in Oregon and the Newberg arrests follow the

immigration arrests

of at

least four asylum seekers

after hearings at Portland Immigration Court.

An ICE spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment late Thursday.

The Trump administration has lodged aggressive immigration enforcement tactics that in other parts of the country have led to large protests, including in California where Trump deployed the

National Guard and Marines

to quell protesters, against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s objections.

“There is a narrative being pushed by this federal administration that ICE is only detaining and deporting undocumented individuals with a criminal record,” Yamhill County Commissioner Bubba King said in an email. “This is unequivocally false. We have watched this exact scenario play out across the country, and now it’s here in our neighborhood.”

The owner of the company who was detained Thursday has been in the country for more than 40 years, Reader said. A search in Oregon court records shows only minor speeding violations and a small claims complaint.

Reader said the truck driver detained last week is now being held at an immigration detention center in Tacoma. Reader said she spoke with the owner’s daughter, who talked with the man, but Reader did not know where he was being held.

Newberg is home to more than 50 wineries, according to Taste Newberg, which is the official visitor resource for the city. While Reader confirmed two workers being detained, others say several more have been detained in the past week, although no details were available.

Officials at the Newberg Dundee School District released a statement to families Thursday in response to ICE’s action. The district didn’t directly address whether any of the workers had children in local schools but attempted to ease community concerns.

“We were made aware of ICE activity in our community over the night and throughout today,” Superintendent Dave Parker wrote. “Our leadership team worked closely with school principals to ensure a safe and secure last day of school. At this time, we have not had any disruptions to our schools or offices, and we ended our last day of school safely.”

Parker added that if federal authorities seek information about any student they will be directed to the district office. Information beyond basic directory-level materials would be shared only in response to a valid judicial subpoena or court order.

“Every student in our district has the right to a safe and supportive learning environment free from fear or unnecessary intrusion,” he wrote.

King, the county commissioner, urged community members to call the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition hotline, 1-888-622-1510, any time they see a community member being detained by immigration authorities.

“These are our neighbors, our friends, our coworkers, our kid’s friends’ parents,” he said. “We have an absolute responsibility to put political party allegiance aside and stand up for the rule of law and the future of democracy.”

— Yesenia Amaro is on the investigations team. Reach her at 503-221-4395, or yamaro@oregonian.com.

— Julia Silverman covers K-12 education for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach her via email at jsilverman@oregonian.com.