While One Comes Home, Thousands Suffer, Says True North After Claudia Portillo Released From ICE Detention

Claudia Portillo

Claudia Portillo second from the left surrounded by friends and family. [Photo from her GoFundMe page]

Press release from True North:

Our True North Network experienced victory on Monday. Claudia Portillo, an undocumented Arcata mother of four who has been in ICE Detention in Bakersfield for the past seven months, was granted release on bond.

This came at the end of just over a week of the North Coast community encountering, understanding and being moved by Claudia’s story and her struggle. Residents met her family and close friends at our Encounter event in Arcata on June 10th, and they had the chance to meet Claudia herself via video from the Mesa Verde Detention Center. Just two days later, Claudia’s case moved quickly and she was scheduled for a bond hearing on Monday, June 18th.

With less than a week to prepare, our network organized to be at her hearing in San Francisco. Our community stepped up and raised almost $20,000 toward her bond and her travel back to her home. A local small business, Los Bagels, agreed to donate food for our journey, and volunteers came forward to drive vans loaded with North Coast residents determined to bring Claudia home.

On Monday at 1:42 PM, the judge granted Claudia’s release from detention on a $12,000 bond. As Claudia’s family left the courthouse and shared the good news with Bay Area press, Claudia’s sister, Jenny Ventura, told reporters: “I’m so happy, but I’m going to keep fighting. This is just one case out of so many.”

Since execution of the Administration’s new Zero Tolerance policy was ordered in April, more than 2,300 children have been separated from their parents at the US-Mexican border and held in jail-like conditions. Additionally, over the past year, the amount of migrant children that the United States has taken into government custody has reached nearly 11,000. The inconvenient truth is that our nation has a long and sordid history of breaking up families: during slavery children were taken and divided from their parents; Native American children were taken by the government and could be sent thousands of miles from their homes. Unfortunately, we are turning another chapter in a long line of immoral and unjust policies that separate and destroy marginalized families.

The President has rescinded his action with a new Executive Order, but that only delays this inhumane situation: A family will remain together in custody until outcome of their court case, and then the children can be divided from their parents. It also asserts an intention to detain families indefinitely, in opposition to current judicial precedent.

The horror stories coming from the current mass detention taking place at our border are numerous: parents have had to listen to their children sobbing and screaming in the next room; one Honduran man committed suicide after his three-year-old was taken from him; children have been kept in what Oregon senator Jeff Merkley described as a “dog kennel”; a woman was told by an agent: “You will never see your children again. Families don’t exist here. You won’t have a family any more.”

Our network has witnessed the pain that a family experiences when a daughter, sister, mother, cousin, aunt and friend is jailed and separated from those who love her. Through our relationships with Claudia and her family, we empathize deeply with the pain of isolation and the cruelty of immigration detention. We opened our hearts and put our boots on the ground for Claudia, and this time we were able to help bring a loved one home. We need to do the same for other families who are being ripped apart by the broken immigration system and callous government officials.

While Claudia will likely be home with her family by the end of this week, thousands of children and parents will remain separated, alone and afraid. The whereabouts of their loved ones will remain unknown. As an organization dedicated to advancing immigrant rights, we will continue our fight for them. Now is the time for all people of goodwill and a thirst for justice in our North Coast Community to stand up and join us in this fight!

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64 Comments
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G Dog
Guest
G Dog
5 years ago

Build that wall.

Willy
Guest
Willy
5 years ago

Don’t like it? Try immigrating legally. I whole heartedly stand with the President on border policy. Just should have enforced zero tolerance years of not decades ago

Willy
Guest
Willy
5 years ago

In my opinion we are not near harsh enough Imagine illegal entry into North Korea for example. How do you think that would play out bringing heroine, crime, social drain?

WOW!
Guest
WOW!
5 years ago
Reply to  Willy

So you want our country to behave like a dictatorship? Thanks, the dead veterans in my family, must be rolling over in their graves.

I like stars
Guest
I like stars
5 years ago

How do other countries handle illegal immigrants?

What would an ideal policy look like?

farce
Guest
farce
5 years ago

I don’t like Trump. I don’t like breaking up of families and pulling children away from their parents. But…what do you think is the solution? Does having compassion mean we must not pay attention to our border and we need to let whoever wants to come up into our country?!! The bleeding hearts are twisting every illegal immigration act into being similar to legal immigration. It is not. They want to bring up the terrible historical abuses committed against Native Americans. This is not the same. Is everybody so emotional about this issue that they have lost their reasoning?! I do not want illegal immigrants flooding the USA. Does that make me a terrible person? Or a fan of Trump? No. It does not and I am not. I’d like to see some comments that are reasonable and logical and balanced and informative. It’s a big problem but we all want to ignore solutions because we’d rather mislead and falsify the narrative to fit our own viewpoint. Sad and unproductive!

hmm
Guest
hmm
5 years ago
Reply to  farce

It is comforting to read your comment. It seem there are few people expressing more moderate views these days.

WOW!
Guest
WOW!
5 years ago
Reply to  hmm

Word!

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago

Try expressing understanding of what mass illegal immigration does the the native population. So far it’s all what immigrants need and want. Why would anyone demand that immigrants have virtually unrestricted border crossings if that means the people they are alleging to be seeking refuge from are coming too? Why not stop in Mexico if safety is being sought? Why come only to complain and criticize? Why not express admiration for the culture that made what what is being sought?

Most of all, why come if all you can say is how racist, greedy and evil Americans are? Crowd in, living as cheaply as possible, ignoring laws and complain about being there? Raise children whose life seems to be expecting instantly what they think other Americans have then crying racist because they haven’t what others took generations to acquire?

farce
Guest
farce
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

There are those who are like this. But there are others who are hard-working decent people hoping for a better life for their children. That’s the conundrum. You can see the people you want to see and then assume they are all the same. But they aren’t- either all good or all bad. And that is where we can easily become polarized and extreme. But either extreme view will not help us find a reasonable solution. There will always be suffering but we need to resolve the situation.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  farce

You can’t screen people who break in. And frankly judging how “good” someone is not something government can do effectively. But stopping trying leads to never stopping bad, in fact awful, people from entering.

So relying on the law is the best tool we have. No law doesn’t bear thinking on. So circumventing the law enmass is always going to lead to disruption and danger. Frankly if the most wonderful people came to your house to stay without your agreement, bad things happen anyway.

anonymous
Guest
anonymous
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Have you asked Native Americans what they think about immigrants? They will tell you these people are also indigenous and they are their people.
“-Those crossing that border, they Indigenous.
-Those babies and children being taken by US officials, they Indigenous.
-Those fleeing their homelands because of state-sponsored terror, they Indigenous.
-Those coerced to travel north because they need to feed/protect/support their families, they Indigenous.

They are my people, no matter the distance.
They are my people, no matter the language.
They are my people.
They are my people.”
-Dallas Goldtooth

Canyon oak
Guest
Canyon oak
5 years ago

It’s not our moral duty to care for the needy of another nation. It is our moral duty to care for the American poor, the American working class, not the immigrant workers that comes here “ to search for a better life for their children” at the expense of ours and our standard of living, all the while sending millions of dollars in remittances out of our country, and back to theirs, every year.
The privileged progressives and leftist Christians of our country have forgotten what it means to fight for survival, so they just cede their society to people(immigrants) who do..
It’s a foolish emotional descision that privileged people make in their waning years of decadence. They’ve forgotten to think seven generations into the future..
all of a sudden, children are sacred, but when it’s in the womb, then it’s a fetus.. and doesn’t matter, right(to choose)?
Progressive emotionalism and tolerance deserves the homelessness and drug addiction and crime that it coddles.
True believers must quitclaim their property titles to the next homeless bum they see if they care so much.
Find a way to trade places with the refugees if your such a Christ posuer.
The corporations love progressives, they don’t even have to pay you, but you do the bidding of global empire, which requires a borderless, fluctuating workforce with low standards.
Thanks alot baby boomers

hmm
Guest
hmm
5 years ago

We need detention centers that are capable of housing families and an army of judges stationed near the border. That way , we can provided expedited trials and rapidly deport. If a person illegally enters via Mexico, they are the Mexico’s responsibly, regardless of their national origin.

superd
Guest
superd
5 years ago
Reply to  hmm

just send them all back home together

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  hmm

The trouble with going there is that anything that does expedite deporting will always be subject to stays and legal challenges. They come from the idea some very loud voices have that any success in that is actually wrong and must be stopped. And the ways of doing that are infinite.

Back up the boat
Guest
Back up the boat
5 years ago

What is going to happen to the detained children if their parents or family can’t be found? How much is it costing us to house all these children? This does not seem well thought out at all. Incredibly stupid and irresponsible of our government to do this. I think this is all a manipulation and tactic by Trump the Chump to get his wall built.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago

Actually Obama was the creator of this policy. When it didn’t work, he simply pretended that enforcing the law had been done while he de facto eliminated doing it. But if you want to say that Obama was ” Incredibly stupid and irresponsible” and manipulative, that’s appropriate. And Congress cowardly. The press pandering. And the public turning a blind eye too. More than enough blame to go around.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

It apparently does matter. What you point out as Trump’s Administration “creating the issue” is simply that the government just stopped the policy of not enforcing the law. And, while earlier Administrations made deliberately ineffective attempts at enforcing the law, Obama made it official that he personally ordered it not to be enforced, officially and in writing.
He called it “prioritizing deportation of criminals.” What it really was the stopping of enforcing most laws on immigration at all.
https://www.uscis.gov/archive/2014-executive-actions-immigration

That lead to the flood of children http://sotu.blogs.cnn.com/2014/06/29/temporary-relief-for-flood-of-children-at-u-s-mexico-border/ that Obama then attempted to stem the flood by – oh the horrors- holding them in detention. But
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-family-detention-children-20150821-story.html happened.

So the condensed version is that Obama was frustrated by Congress’s intransigence over immigration. He unilaterally protected illegal immigrants, disingenuously calling it prioritizing, which caused a flood of children being sent illegally into the US, was embarassed by the result and attempted to detain them, they were released by court order, which created the legal dilemma Sessions was attempting to overcome that children- accompanied or not by parents- can not be held. Whereupon Obama pretended to no longer see the problem. And that left Trump’s Administration to attempt to reinstate enforcement of the law. Futilely as ever it seems.

Saying that it was all Session’s doing is like saying that the police cause accidents just because they respond to them. Obama did much to cause the “accident” then refused to show up to clean up the mess. So now, after Trump’s contretemp, we are back to where Obama started his official pretending. Trump has promised to not do that. We’ll see if he can find a way that will succeed that will get a pass from those ever ready to ignore reality in favor of the Disney version.

WOW!
Guest
WOW!
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Nope

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  WOW!

Yup.

WOW!
Guest
WOW!
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Naw!

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

yep. Well said and explained, Guest

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

hahaha, gotta love that ‘zero tolerance’ bs. That’s the language that put America in the poor house. Trump is a a pro at trolling, gotta give him that.

;)
Guest
;)
5 years ago
Reply to  shak

Gotta love, some that still type out their laughing!

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  ;)

ROTFLMAO!

guest
Guest
guest
5 years ago

… and another one is on trial for kidnapping and shooting a cop in Ferndale

Get some
Guest
Get some
5 years ago

So so ready for this wall being built. Ready and willing to pay whatever taxes are necessary to get this done. FU MS13, and all the heroine that is brought to beautiful community. If you haven’t noticed in the last year almost every bust of the dreaded H is related to Mexican nationals.

local observer
Guest
local observer
5 years ago
Reply to  Get some

MS13 is the El Salvadorian gang that most of people are fleeing, and they aren’t the source of heroin.

Cove broseph
Guest
Cove broseph
5 years ago
Reply to  local observer

Yeah i doubt ms 13 sells hard drugs

local observer
Guest
local observer
5 years ago
Reply to  Cove broseph

wiki says they specialize in extreme violence and are often hired by the Mexican drug cartels to perform said specialty. hard drugs are sold everywhere by every race. if meth stops coming from mexico, the bikers in the central valley will start mass producing the off-white stuff again. it makes my head twitch just thinking about that stuff.

Get some
Guest
Get some
5 years ago
Reply to  local observer

yep your right we should continue to build this country on Wiki.

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago

and they call the summer solstice a conspiracy theory. smdh

Willy
Guest
Willy
5 years ago

Don’t really know the story but sounds like Ms Portillo entered illegally. Please deport her and let her try legal immigration. Hope ICE rounds up every illegal and deports them too

THC
Guest
THC
5 years ago

We will have to either limit any form of immigration or drastically reduced our public assistance programs, all forms of immigrants legal or not use more Public Assistance programs then native-born American’s, don’t get me wrong there are plenty of native born citizens that abuse these assistance programs as well. We also need to reduce spending to other countries and quit trying to police the entire world. This country is already 22 trillion dollars in debt and climbing fast, we cannot afford to house, feed and provide free medical care to the entire planet.

https://cis.org/Heavy-Welfare-Use-Legal-Immigrants-Yes-Legal-Immigrants

http://www.politifact.com/california/statements/2018/jan/29/steve-cortes/are-55-percent-immigrants-california-welfare-s-exa/

https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/policy-basics-where-do-our-federal-tax-dollars-go

SkaWriter
Guest
SkaWriter
5 years ago

Ms. Portillo, as an eight year old, decided to come to the US. Brought her parents with her.

Really, you guys? I know, they’re taking the jobs that you don’t want to do . . .

The US immigration laws are jacked up. Fix those, please.

Gentleman and Scholar
Guest
Gentleman and Scholar
5 years ago

Why is this website simply posting propaganda from a socialist organization? It is completely biased. Not information but subjective opinion. This is not journalism in any way. I am a journalist. I know the difference. At least an appearance of basic newswriting ethics would be appreciated. Otherwise, stop the “local news” and “on the street” and “crime” reporting. It is so hypocritical to pretend to be a news site and just provide one slanted point of view. No opposing opinion. Embarrassing.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

So any private group can have their press releases published here? Or only the one you personally think are “interesting?” I didn’t think this biased lobby group, busy patting themselves on their backs while creating another opportunity to spin their agenda, was interesting. It was exactly what I thought they would say given any opportunity.

The comments are many and excited for the same reason that any hostile rally creates excitement- they are offensive, meaning to be offensive and rely on the media’s cooperation in making their offensiveness public; the public who would rather they not have to face them down every single time they want to make noise. Waving the magic wand of sympathy over the nature of the abusers does not mean that this group is not just thuggish.

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

You find propaganda to be of interest?

You also mentioned in another post on a planet not so far far away, that you post what you think your readers find of interest.
Yet you spend most of your time arguing your viewpoints over theirs.
Confusing.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

It wasn’t news. It was an add.

WOW!
Guest
WOW!
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

Thank for the article Mrs. Kemp. Thanks for keeping you site open to all opinions, even though there’s a few I could do without. Yet, shuting down, opposite my opinion would no longer be a democracy but a socialist state or dictatorship! I think I prefer Democracy, even though that last opinion left ringing in my ears. Long live the freedom of Democracy!

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  WOW!

Want to vote on this?

WOW!
Guest
WOW!
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Sure, you’ll lose like the, No’s on measure F. There’s more love vs hate! I’ll take that bet or vote anyday, cause I still believe in Democracy, unlike you opinion!

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  WOW!

Ok Kym want to set up a poll where there is only one vote per person as to whether “love” means that there can be no restriction on immigration; anyone enters at will or “love” means protecting the native population from competition where employers have access to unlimited supplies of cheap wages?

Or conversely whether “hate” means subjecting people to endless competition over which they have no control and are in fact required to pay taxes to expedit such competitors or “hate” is demanding that this not happen?

Oh the utter joy of slapping spin faster by emotional extortion.

WOW!
Guest
WOW!
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Preach that to the Native Americans here, long before my or your ancestors! Empathy saves lives vs dividing resentment!

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  WOW!

What happen to the indigenous population is by far the best argument for not allowing unrestricted immigration. Those immigrants too were in large part coming for economic advantage and seeking safety from persecution.

Unapoligetic!
Guest
Unapoligetic!
5 years ago
Reply to  WOW!

Then clean out your ears, cause there’s hundreds of reasons, they run and flee their countries, for Asylum. [edit]

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

As long as the gullible are still under the past admin’s usage of quatrain hypnosis, the worship will never end.
With that said, I’ll cross my fingers for a decent poll.

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  WOW!

Freedom of Democracy? That’s an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one. Do you know what Democracy means? Do you even know what freedom means?
The Republic gives us liberty.
Democracy enslaves.

Unapoligetic!
Guest
Unapoligetic!
5 years ago
Reply to  shak

Man-o-Mangoberry, that must sure taste good!
Its not a oxymoron, but maybe your comment is, your taking it out of context, for you own advantage. Our freedom of speech, exists thru the functions of our democracy. Nice try though!

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Unapoligetic!

mmm, not quite.
Our rights exist because we the people created the constitution that limits the govt(s). (including city, county, state and central).
The Bill of Rights is an example list of rights, with the 9th amendment declaring that not all the rights were listed due to the impossibility of it’s task.
The only time we use a ‘democratic’ function, is when for voting. The ballots are supposed to only contain issues that are constitutional. If it’s not constitutional, it doesn’t belong on the ballot. People’s rights are excluded from ballots because it’s unconstitutional to vote for ruling over other people.
Nowhere does the constitution say anything whatsoever about a democracy.
We are not a democracy and the functions of freedom of speech exist with or without the consent of others.
Rights are natural born, God given. The constitution does not give us our rights, it instead s e c u r e s our rights.

superd
Guest
superd
5 years ago
Reply to  shak

thank you for educating ppl that we are not a democracy but a republic that is represented by elected officials, not mob rule

Shak
Guest
Shak
5 years ago
Reply to  superd

You’re welcome. Do continue on with your thoughts though, and define what ‘represented by elected officials’ means.
Does that mean that we are mandated to follow whatever they demand we follow, or are they supposed to first obey and respect the Constitution and only legislate that which is constitutional for them to legislate?
What does the term “promote” mean? Does that mean the reps can mandate that the people submit to whatever it is they promote and legislate, or does it mean they are free to use their podium to encourage and inspire the people to rise up and take care of issues the reps have been made aware of due to the concerns of the people?
Does that mean the people can be forced into taking care care of any issue the reps find issue with and decides a solution for or does it mean the people are free to create solutions on their own and follow suit in their own way?

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Unapoligetic!

A democracy is a mob rule. If two or more people vote to take your bike, they take your bike. That is a democracy. 2-1.
A Republic is under the rule of it’s constitution. Our constitution forbids a democracy form of govt.
A Republic forbids others from voting to take your bike.
It’s up to the people to know the difference and to know their rights so they can protect them.
It’s up to the officials to defend and obey our constitution that s e c u r e s our rights.
In a nutshell, we are a Constitutional Republic that uses the democratic process to vote ONLY on Constitutional issues/subjects.

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Unapoligetic!

Freedom of speech is a perfect example in today’s world.
Our constitutional republic secures our right to freedom of speech.
The mob ruled democracy tries to bully and threaten others out of speaking.
A constitutional republic patriot is anyone obeying the constitution with the wave length that s/he might not agree with what is being said, but s/he will defend to the death your right to say it. American values.
A non-patriot is anyone using the unconstitutional democracy form of wave length that might not agree with what is being said and will threaten and assault anyone who is saying it. Other than American values.

Every man is the king of his or her castle/home. If the king of the castle says no cussing, then all the others must respect that or leave. The others do not have the power of authority to use a democracy rule vote over him. They, however, have the power to allow all the cussing they want in their own castles. They can not force others to cuss in their castle, but they can indeed allow it.

Unapoligetic!
Guest
Unapoligetic!
5 years ago
Reply to  shak

Just cause you say its peanut butter & jelly, doesn’t mean its not spam!

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Unapoligetic!

Throwing out nasty remarks is not the same as being right. Or earns anyone’s respect. Shak is right that the Second Amendment was to give individuals rights, including freedom of speech, to protect them against mob democracy. It is a function of a republic. Democracy follows emotions and lynches, republics are meant to limit their ability to do that until they regain their senses.

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Unapoligetic!

Guest is correct, except.. oh boy, here I go again, but I can’t let it go!…
Except, the BOR does not g i v e us anything. It s e c u r e s our everything.

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago

Food for thought by Political Cowboy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMKQsQzGcqU

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago

There are 8 USA consulates in Mexico and 1 in Baja, Calif. There is 1 USA Embassy in Nogales, Sonora.
This website includes the addresses and phone/fax numbers, for those interested in living freely in America. https://mx.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/

Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas
Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Col. Alcala Martin Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
Santa Catarina, Nuevo León, México
Nogales, Sonora
Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas
Tijuana, Baja California

They handle the Visa’s and all the important info and documents needed for liberty in America.

The main site in Spanish https://mx.usembassy.gov/es/