Immigration arrest of a man inside Oregon courthouse appears to raise stakes in federal crackdown

By YESENIA AMARO/The Oregonian/OregonLive

An arrest Thursday inside Marion County’s courthouse appears to have escalated detention tactics by immigration officers in Oregon and may have violated the state’s sanctuary law and judicial guidelines.

The Oregon Department of Justice said in a statement that it is reviewing the arrest “to determine whether legal action is warranted.”

“Oregon law prohibits civil arrests in state courthouses without a judicial warrant,” the statement said.

Witnesses reported seeing at least three federal agents going into the county courthouse in Salem about 8:30 a.m., according to local immigrant advocacy group, Latinos Unidos Siempre.

The agents arrested two men — one on a warrant signed by a judge, which complies with the law and guidelines, but the other on an administrative warrant, which appears to conflict with state standards.

Administrative warrants are produced by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for civil violations of immigration law, such as being in the country without legal status. They aren’t signed by a judge.

This appears to be the first immigration-related arrest inside an Oregon courthouse since the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. A separate case last year marked the first confirmed immigration arrest near a local courthouse in Oregon when federal agents detained a 44-year-old man near the Washington County courthouse.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security contacted sheriff’s officials to report that federal agents were in the courthouse to find and arrest two people.

“Our judicial security team acted professionally, remaining focused on their mission, providing safety and security to everyone in the courthouse consistent with state and federal law,” Sheriff Nick Hunter said in the statement.

Federal agents had a judicial warrant to arrest Daniel Lopez-Mojica, 39, but only an administrative warrant for the second person, according to the statement.

The sheriff’s office didn’t name the man. Federal officers arrested him in a public area outside a courtroom, said sheriff’s office spokesperson Jeremy Schwab.

Oregon’s sanctuary law prohibits local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal authorities for immigration enforcement.

Oregon Chief Justice Meagan Flynn issued guidelines in July to courthouses across the state, saying: “Civil arrest in or around court facilities without a judicial warrant or judicial order are prohibited.”

Further guidance posted on the state Justice Department’s website says: “State law prohibits law enforcement from arresting you in a court facility, or while you are traveling to or from court, with any immigrant warrant except a judicial warrant or order signed by a judge.”

The guidance also says requests from federal agencies to state or local government agencies about immigration enforcement “without a judicial order should be documented, reported and denied by the local agency receiving the request.”

Federal authorities have made nine requests for help to courthouses across the state since July 2021, according to the state commission that serves as a clearinghouse for the requests. All were denied, said Ryan Keck, interim executive director for the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission.

In the Marion County case, though, federal agents apparently made their request directly to the sheriff’s office.

Administrative warrants aren’t reviewed by a “judge or any neutral party to determine if it is based on probable cause,” according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. The San Francisco-based national legal organization works for immigrant rights.

An unnamed Homeland Security spokesperson declined to answer questions about the administrative warrant arrest.

A spokesperson with the Oregon Judicial Department declined comment.

Schwab also declined to comment on the question of compliance with Oregon law and guidelines but noted that members of the sheriff’s Judicial Security Unit didn’t help arrest the man facing the administrative warrant.

The security detail was “in the immediate vicinity” to protect people in the courthouse and saw the man resist arrest as the federal officers took him into custody, according to the sheriff’s office statement. A deputy was then assigned to escort federal agents out of the courthouse through a public area, the statement said.

A video shared with The Oregonian/OregonLive shows what appears to be a courthouse security deputy unlocking a door to let at least two federal agents into the building.

The state sanctuary law prohibits giving federal authorities access to private areas or employee-only areas inside public buildings.

The sheriff’s office statement acknowledged that deputies did help arrest Lopez-Mojica, taking him out of the courthouse and turning him over to federal authorities. His judicial warrant was out of U.S. District Court, the statement said.

Lopez-Mojica was in court for a status check pending felony allegations involving a weapon and domestic violence, according to state court records. His arrest occurred without incident, the statement said.

The Homeland Security spokesperson said Lopez-Mojica was in the U.S. illegally and cited his pending state charges along with an illegal re-entry allegation.

He will remain in ICE custody pending deportation, the spokesperson said. ICE officials had asked Marion County Jail deputies in November to hold Lopez-Mojica on an immigration detainer but they refused and released him, the spokesperson said.

This story was originally published on March 27, 2026 by The Oregonian/OregonLive.