This article and videos contain graphic details of an ICE raid, including: Audio/text of screaming, distress, explicit cursing, and physical struggle.
COTTAGE GROVE – She was a Latina driving a minivan.
That’s all U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) needed to pull her over, throw her to the ground, dig their knees into her back, and handcuff her without explanation, according to Juanita Avila, 47, who recounted the incident the following afternoon.
Still raw from the encounter, Juanita hangs her head while choking back tears, a few of them forming crimson splotches on her firetruck-red shirt.
ALL PHOTOS BY BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
“We are traumatized,” Juanita said. “We see a car without an Oregon license plate … my heart starts pumping because of what they did, and they do that to everybody. Doesn’t matter if they’re citizens or have green cards.”
Avila immigrated from Malacatancito, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, to Los Angeles, Calif. when she was 14. She moved to Cottage Grove about 12 years ago, seeking a “safer” and “less stressful environment” for her family.
Upon settling in Cottage Grove, she opened Juanita’s Latina Store at 605 E. Main St. This grocery store became a hub for the local Hispanic community, offering specialty foods and familiar products from Central America.
Her entrepreneurial spirit was influenced by her desire to keep her children close while working, especially when they were young. She is a mother to three children – ages 12, 19, and 26.
“It takes a certain personality profile of entrepreneurship, of courage to, frankly, even come here (to America) … That’s who we are, and that’s what’s made the United States great,” said Len Blackstone, 73, Juanita’s landlord.
“You have this person who sees this closed door and says, ‘I’m going to go buy it and set up shop in this town’ … You have people like her come in, who are the future of our country.
“When people talk about ‘criminals’ being arrested – who’s going to be against that? Yeah – this is not … this is not a criminal.”
Len Blackstone, gesturing toward Juanita.
The incident
Around 7 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5, Juanita went out to check on a car left in the road after receiving a call that someone had just been detained, apparently in an ICE raid. Community members often call her for help – especially to translate and support during incidents like this, Juanita said.
“I received the call that somebody got picked up and that his car was in the middle of the road, because usually people call me to go to help somebody to translate on all these things,” Juanita said.
Before leaving the house, her daughter, Emely, 19, “made sure that (Juanita) had her green card with her and that I had my passport, because I had heard stories of people who, even though they are citizens, if they can’t prove it right away, then they get taken,” Emely said.
Emely and Juanita split up to cover more ground.
“We were just trying to help people,” Emely said.
Juanita was driving on Highway 99 when she saw police-type lights flicker behind her. Expecting a routine stop, she pulls over near the Relax Inn and rolls her window down.
“I was just thinking, Oh yeah, I’m gonna (get a) citation because I probably did something bad, wondering what I did,” Juanita said, questioning whether she made a minor traffic infraction, like not using her blinker or rolling through a stop sign.
That is when several men approached her van, she said, some claiming to be police.
“When I opened my window, I asked why I was pulled over,” Juanita said. The agent simply said, “We are police.” There was no identification on the cars or uniforms that pulled her over, she said, noting that she’s seen “suspicious vehicles” with out-of-state plates – Washington, Arizona, and California – driving around lately, and did not see any local police vehicles on the road.
“And then another guy comes … and he just asked, ‘Where were you born?’
“I didn’t answer. I said, ‘Why am I being pulled over? What is all this?’ And they just said, ‘Well, you’re being arrested.’
“I said, ‘Why am I being arrested?’ Right away, they were acting so quick. … All I felt was hands all over me,” Juanita said. “They took my phone. They drag me out. I don’t remember how they dragged me to the (ground). I just remember being on the (ground) … They pinned me to the ground … they put their knees on me, with all their force. I told them I’m sick because I have Fibromyalgia. That’s a pain all over me. … And when they put their knees on me, it was – it was – the air was taken out of me.”
“I kept screaming and yelling, ‘Why are you doing this?’ And then they said, ‘We’re Immigration, and you’re under arrest for being illegal.’ And I said, ‘Why are you assuming that I’m illegal?’”
– Juanita Avila
Emely on the scene
As Emely drove through the quiet streets, she said she saw police lights ahead. She starts recording, not sure what she is about to witness.
WARNING: Graphic Content and Explicit Language
“I kept screaming my daughter’s name, hoping that she will stop and see me. And that’s when – she saw, she thought it was somebody else, but it was actually me,” Juanita recalls.
“I see my mom on the (ground), with a bunch of people on top of her. And I was just freaking out, because there was no reason for her to be put in that situation at all. I knew that she had her green card on her,” Emely said. “I kept asking, ‘Why are you arresting my mom?
– Emely Avila
“At first they said that they couldn’t find her (in their system), and then … they said that she had a border crossing warning, which is why they arrested her – but they didn’t check (Juanita’s records) until after” they arrested her, Emely said. “She has nothing wrong with her papers – she has never gotten any warning or anything. ”
While searching for the digital copy of Juanita’s green card, and after some confusion about where it was (in Juanita’s pocket rather than her wallet), agents suddenly stated they had located Juanita in their system. The agents took off her handcuffs and quickly left, offering no clear explanation, Emely said. The entire incident lasted about 30 minutes.
WARNING: Graphic Content and Explicit Language
Juanita went to the hospital for her injuries afterward; the police were called to document the incident, but informed her that there was little they could do.
Cory Chase, Cottage Grove Police Chief, issued a media statement on Nov. 6. He stated that, just before 5 a.m., an agent with the Department of Homeland Security notified on-duty staff with the CGPD that they were in the city for “official business.”
“No further details were provided to the Cottage Grove Police Department, and our agency did not request any further details at the time of the notification. DHS did not request any information or resources from the Cottage Grove Police Department,” Chase stated. “CGPD did not participate in any operations with DHS. We continue to follow Oregon laws and our department policy regarding immigration matters.”
ICE’s actions toward Juanita “are illegal, it’s ill, it’s unpatriotic, and it’s anti-American,” Blackstone said.
“My mother was not stopped because they were looking for a specific person, not because they had a warrant and not because they had reasonable suspicion, but because she was Latina and driving a van,” Emely said.
According to a DHS Spokesperson:
According to a DHS spokesperson, “On Nov. 5, ICE arrested nine illegal aliens in Cottage Grove, Oregon, and one illegal alien in Eugene, Oregon. Crimes of some of the illegal aliens arrested included driving under the influence, reckless driving, hit and run, and driving with a suspended license, and trespassing. … criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S. If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will arrest you, we will deport you, and you will NEVER return.”
WARNING: Graphic Content and Explicit Language
The vigil
On Monday, Nov. 10, about 125 community members gathered at Coiner Park for a candlelight vigil to honor those affected by ICE in Cottage Grove.
“Nine people confirmed were abducted by ICE (on Nov. 5). They are fathers, breadwinners, and family members. … These families were torn apart here in Cottage Grove,” said Abelio Carrillo Chales, community resource organizer for Rural Organizing Project and a member of the local immigrant community. This state-wide, Cottage Grove-based organization supports a multi-issue, rural-centered, grassroots base and has set up a donation fund on its website to help those affected by ICE.
This traumatic event not only affected Juanita physically and emotionally but also created palpable fear within the local immigrant community, prompting other families to stay home and children to be afraid of going to school.
“What happened here on Wednesday is a great violation of both international law and Sanctuary state laws,” Carrillo Chales said. “A lot of family members are afraid to come out, and even they’re afraid to send their kids to school. That’s not right, that shouldn’t be happening.”
Abelio Carrillo Chales, community resource organizer for Rural Organizing Project
“The physical pain will go away faster than the trauma we have. It will stay with us forever,” Emely said.
On Thursday, Nov. 6, Sen. Ron Wyden, House Speaker Julie Fahey, State Senate President Pro Tempore James Manning Jr., Sen. Floyd Prozanski, State Representatives Lisa Fragala, Nancy Nathanson, and John Lively, Lane County Commissioners Heather Buch and Laurie Trieger, Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson, Eugene City Councilor Lyndsie Leech, and Springfield City Councilor Kori Rodley issued the following statement:
“We are alarmed by the reported actions carried out by ICE … which included the violent detention of several Oregonians, and by the ongoing reports of individuals not receiving their constitutionally protected rights to due process and legal representation. This was only the most recent in a series of aggressive raids carried out across the state in recent months. We are working together with community leaders and local law enforcement to learn more and ensure that all of our constituents are accounted for.”
Rep. Val Hoyle (D-4) attended Monday’s vigil organized by the Cottage Grove Friends of Democracy.
“The (Administration) has said, ‘we’re just going after the worst of the worst.’ That is (untrue), because this is about attacking immigrants because they’re vulnerable. Juanita is part of our community. She is the best of the best.”
– Rep. Val Hoyle
Hoyle cited the Fifth and 14th Amendments to the Constitution, which guarantee the right to due process to everyone in this country, regardless of immigration status.
“We need to stand up now. We need to speak up for what is right. We need to speak up for the Constitution… and those laws need to be followed fundamentally,” she said.
“Not on our watch, not in our town, not in our country.”
– Rep. Val Hoyle
Gallery: Vigil for ICE victims, Cottage Grove, Monday Nov. 10
Filming ICE, federal agents
If you witness ICE, the military, or any federal law enforcement making an immigration arrest in public, it’s your legal right to film, as long as you don’t interfere. Your footage can expose human rights violations and be used as evidence.
Step 1: What to film
- Badges & uniforms (or lack of ID)
- Vehicle plates & equipment
- Street signs & landmarks
- Time, date, number of agents (state aloud)
- Clear audio of what ICE says or yells
- Film continuously, if you can, from the beginning to the end
- DON’T focus on the person arrested.
Step 2: Call PIRC right away, 1-888-622-1510
When the incident is over or if multiple people are available, report the arrest to the PIRC Hotline immediately: call 1-888-622-1510. The operator will walk you through all the details and explain where to send the video clip. Please do not share videos on social media so lawyers, advocates, or family can decide when to release it.
Assess your risk: not everyone can film safely
Film openly and follow instructions:
- If told to stop, state: “I have the right to film this.”
- If told to step back: Film yourself moving back and then keep filming the scene
- Narrate facts only: time, location, number of agents
- NEVER reveal your immigration status.
Remember, anything said in the video can be used in court.
Resources
https://www.oregonforall.us/film
