Your Thursday evening update on Salem news
Good evening, Salem.
Since our report Tuesday about a round of immigration arrests in Salem, we’ve gotten the same question several times from readers: Why don’t you say what people are being charged with when they’re arrested?
It’s a good question, and as our managing editor, I wanted to take a minute to explain.
First, immigration violations are typically civil, not criminal, matters. ICE takes people into custody typically to determine if someone is in the country without legal authorization or otherwise deportable, and to begin deportation proceedings.
While criminal convictions or charges can play into a decision to deport someone, an ICE administrative arrest is done on the basis of suspected immigration status.
Second, there’s virtually no information publicly available about who ICE is arresting.
If our reporters want to see who was charged with a crime in Marion County this week, we can pull up the circuit court docket and see a list of names with corresponding charges. If we want to see who’s in the county jail, a roster listing everybody and their booking date is available on the county website.
There’s no parallel publc system for immigration arrests, and locating information typically requires already knowing a name to search for.
That also means we don’t know the immigration status of people ICE is arresting – and immigration status is more complicated than “legal” and “not.” They may be in the U.S. illegally without a criminal record or with one. They may be a visa holder or green card recipient. They may be someone in the midst of immigration proceedings to determine asylum status or renew a visa. They may be an immigrant brought to the U.S. illegally as a child who’s received a work permit, but has no permanent legal status.
ICE has not responded to requests from Salem Reporter and other local media asking for information about who was arrested and why – this week or in other local cases. Advocacy groups typically don’t publicize that information when they have it to protect the privacy of families they work with.
That doesn’t mean we make no effort to find out. But it means we’re often reliant on sources like family social media posts, fundraising campaigns or word of mouth from people who observed arrests or learned about who was taken after the fact.
Our reporters are working on more in-depth explanatory coverage explaining these nuances, and still seeking to track down information about who has been arrested and the outcomes of their cases. We welcome your suggestions, questions and tips: [email protected].
–Rachel Alexander, managing editor
Here’s some of today’s news. Head to our website anytime for the latest in Salem.
www.salemreporter.com
An immediate crisis of delayed food benefits is over, but the leader of Salem’s food bank said he expects to see more people needing help soon as federal cuts to…
www.salemreporter.com
On Sunday, Nov. 16, Elsinore Framing & Fine Art Gallery will auction donated art, jewelry and more in a bid to keep its doors open until at least its 40…
www.salemreporter.com
On our “Coffee Break” podcast with What’s Happening Salem, we talk about recent immigration arrests, school funding and the Oly’s second-place state volleyball finish.
www.salemreporter.com
At an emotional meeting Wednesday night, Newport city leaders said they would push back against any effort to establish a local immigration detention facility.
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