KENT, WA (KCPQ/CNN) – An undocumented father of three who called 911 to report a possible break-in faces deportation after police arrested him and turned him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Immigration attorney Luis Cortez is working quickly to try and prevent the deportation of his client, 32-year-old Wilson Rodriguez Macarreno.
Macarreno called 911 Thursday morning when he thought someone was trying to break into his home.
When police arrived, Cortez says they ran Macarreno’s identification, which is standard protocol. During the search, they discovered a warrant from 2004, which, at the time, they thought was criminal.
"That's when the Tukwila PD arrested him, and then the Tukwila Police Department volunteered to take him to ICE,” Cortez said.
Cortez says the warrant is an administrative one, issued not for criminal reasons but because Macarreno never showed for a court date.
"He was supposed to be given notice of a court date except he didn't receive this notice. He didn't know about it, and so he missed this court date,” Cortez said.
The judge issued a deportation order to send Macarreno back to Honduras.
Cortez is trying to get the case reopened while his client is detained by ICE agents in Tacoma, WA.
"He's going to be returned to a country that is considered the murder capital of the world and a place he hasn't been to in 14 years is something that is very scary for him,” Cortez said.
A number of people in the community aren’t happy about the situation, calling for a change in policy.
Police told residents Monday night they will work to regain the community’s trust.
"It is vital that every member of our community feels safe and comfortable when calling our police department for help,” said Assistant Chief Rick Mitchell with the Tukwila Police Department. "We will take a thorough look at our practices and policy to ensure we do better moving forward."
The department says it will not be responding to administrative warrants coming from ICE and has warned other law enforcement agencies of the same.
Cortez says Macarreno’s fate remains unclear, and a lot is riding on what happens over the next few days.
"It really sends a message… that this is what's going to happen: if you are undocumented and you call the police, they will also turn you in to ICE,” Cortez said.
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