PORTLAND, Oregon — On Friday, dozens of protesters gathered outside the Mexican Consulate in Portland, urging officials to step in and help a Vancouver man in immigration custody. Organizers told KGW he’s contracted a bacterial infection inside a Louisiana facility.
“I think it’s come to that point where we’re not just going to sit here and take all of the neglect lying down,” said Ennie Pio, with Defend Migrants Alliance Oregon. “At the moment, his medical conditions have worsened so bad he’s down to 140 pounds. And it can really get worse if we don’t do something now.”
That man, a Mexican migrant and father, who has lived in the United States for two decades, is Jose Cruz-Morales. He was detained in July, then was, according to organizers, unlawfully deported to Mexico in January. A month later, and with the help of community and attorneys, Cruz-Morales was returned to the U.S., though remains in detention in Louisiana…