Portland church leader and immigration activist faces ICE check-in, fears detention

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – Francisco Aguirre, an El Salvador native who sought asylum in the United States 30 years ago, has been asked by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to once again appear at the agency’s South Waterfront building Thursday morning for a check-in.

Aguirre said he does not believe the check-in is necessary for his asylum claim.

“I think right now I’m really worried that I can be detained,” Aguirre said.

Background

Aguirre came to the United States at age 15 and was later deported after an arrest. He returned to the U.S. in 2014 and spent months living in the basement of Augustana Lutheran Church in north Portland, claiming sanctuary. His asylum claim remains pending with the U.S. government.

ICE previously conducted a check-in with Aguirre in 2016. He said the agency has asked him to sign an agreement he believes was already finalized at that time.

“You never know what the truth is, what’s behind all of this,” Aguirre said. “They did mention that they want me to sign an agreement, an agreement that we already signed in 2016, that it doesn’t need to be resigned.”

Thursday’s check-in

Aguirre will not attend the check-in alone. Rev. Mark Knutson, his pastor and friend, plans to accompany him to the ICE facility.

“Tomorrow we’ll get there and we’ll pray with people who are scared to death before the agents come out and take them to a side room, and you pray they’re going to come back into the main room and get to go,” Knutson said. “We pray for that. We have contingencies, but we aren’t going to contingency. We’re going to — you’re in, you’re out and go on.”

Family and community

Aguirre said his primary concern is his family. His daughters are U.S. citizens, and he said Portland is their home. He has worked at the church and as an immigration activist for decades and says he does not have anything to go back to in El Salvador.

“I don’t have to continue doing check-ins if they are worrying I’ll run away,” Aguirre said. “I’m not running away. They know what I live. They can come for me any time if they want to. They know that I’m here. So I don’t see a reason why I have to go to their office. It doesn’t make sense. This process is scaring my family, putting my life in risk because they don’t understand.”