A Milwaukie, Oregon, resident claims that he was “forcibly abducted” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and held at the Portland ICE facility for several hours, despite being a U.S. citizen.

Francisco Miranda, who was born in California, sent a tort claim to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem through his attorney on Monday, less than a week after his Oct. 2 arrest outside his workplace in Northeast Portland.

A tort is a wrongful act or a violation of someone’s rights that is not part of a contract and can cause harm, leading to civil legal responsibility.

The arrest comes as more U.S. citizens report being arrested or detained by ICE, though this appears to be one of the first such cases in Oregon.

Federal officers fire tear gas, make multiple arrests during protest outside Portland ICE facility

Miranda’s attorney, Michael Fuller, told OPB he was unaware of other Oregon cases where ICE arrested or detained U.S. citizens. Oregon For All, an immigrant advocacy nonprofit, said it was aware of other citizens in the state being racially profiled and stopped by immigration officials, but not arrested.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that allows immigration officials to use race as a grounds for stopping and questioning people.

Fuller noted, however, that Miranda was not swept up in a broader immigration raid, or stopped on the street because of his skin tone. Instead, Fuller said, he was targeted by officers who seem to have failed to do their “homework.”

“If they had, they could pretty easily have found out that he was an American citizen,” Fuller said.

ICE agents claim Miranda’s ‘overstay,’ says lawyer

According to Fuller, Miranda arrived at the metal fabrication facility near the Portland International Airport where he worked around 6 a.m. on Oct. 2 and immediately noticed multiple federal agents step out of their vehicles.

Miranda told the agents he was an American citizen and tried to show them his driver’s license, which the tort alleged the officers confiscated.

The officers showed Miranda a photo of himself working on a fishing boat from more than a decade ago, Fuller said, and asked, “Is this you?”

Miranda told the agents it was him in the picture and reiterated that he was a citizen. The officers then claimed he “was here on an overstay,” implying he remained in the U.S. past the time allowed by a visa.

In a video of the interaction, which Miranda filmed in the moment, he can be heard saying “What do you mean overstay? I don’t know what that is.”

A masked officer then asks where he was born, adding, “Don’t lie to me.”

Miranda replied he was from California. An officer then told him the agents would “take him in” and verify his information.

In the video, an officer off-screen then said “turn around or you’re gonna get the dog.”

“But I haven’t done anything,” Miranda replied.

The officer repeated his threat of unleashing a dog attack if Miranda didn’t comply.

According to the tort, officers then struck him from behind and put him in the van, which drove him to the ICE facility in South Portland. Fuller said the officers high-fived as they threw Miranda in the car.

“After several hours, Mr. Miranda was driven back to his place of employment without being given any legitimate reason for his abduction,” the tort says.

DHS did not respond to multiple requests for comment to explain why Miranda was detained.

Asked by OPB how Miranda was impacted by his arrest, Fuller said he was a tough guy but obviously became frustrated and embarrassed by what happened.

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Milwaukie city council condemns ICE

The arrest sparked outrage from local public officials. A letter signed by all five members of the Milwaukie City Council asked for accountability for Miranda’s arrest.

The letter, which is addressed to Noem, said the City Council condemns “in the strongest possible terms the actions of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.”

The council wrote that Miranda’s arrest and similar tactics used by immigration agents across the country are not law enforcement but “kidnapping, abuse and harassment.”

“Until ICE can demonstrate adherence to the Constitution, transparency in its operations, and respect for the people it serves, it has no moral or legal legitimacy to operate in our communities,” the letter reads.

Milwaukie City Manager Emma Sagor said the council had not received a response from Noem or DHS.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/09/milwaukie-man-ice-arrest/