ICE detains two community members

Staff report

After unsubstantiated Immigration and Customs Enforcement rumors flew around the county in June, San Juan Island had two confirmed ICE events during the second week of July.

Masked agents arrived on the island without informing local law enforcement and removed two community members, Guilherme Silva and Pedro Moreno, detaining them without warning or arrest warrants.

Details of the first incident

ICE first appeared in Friday Harbor on Monday, July 7 at 8 a.m. According to witnesses, 22-year-old Pedro Daniel Moreno was holding his two-year-old son in the parking lot of the Sandpiper apartments after he went outside to his car. Just as he turned back to hand his son to family members, two cars pulled up and blocked him in. Witnesses say the men who exited the vehicles wore masks and had no identification besides vests. A video of the incident shows four agents. Moreno and his family screamed for help, while the little boy watched his father be taken away.

Family members called the Sheriff’s Office to report that Moreno was being roughed up by “people wearing green vests with yellow lettering.” Moments later, a second call came into the Sheriff’s Office from passersby, describing the vehicles as a Silver GMC Acadia and a Black SUV.

“We were on my way to my job at Ace Hardware,” Kait Lesneski said, describing what she and Jerray Napier saw as they drove by that morning. “I saw a man getting pushed against a vehicle and at first thought it was police, but then saw the vehicles were unmarked and it was not the Sheriff’s office. We circled around and called 911 to report it and watched them put the man in the black SUV.”

She said she saw him in handcuffs and described the treatment of Moreno as “very rough.” The emergency dispatcher told them to stay away, but didn’t mention that local officers were on their way.

“They were tossing him around and shoving him into the side of a vehicle,” Lesneski said. “I told the Sheriff I wasn’t 100 percent positive it was ICE, and they didn’t seem to really care.”

The family tried to make a report (via their translator and friend) later that day with the Sheriff’s Office, but were told no one was available to take a report from them. Their phone number was taken. No report has been taken as of the writing of this article.

County Sheriff’s response

San Juan County Sheriff Eric Peter said that a deputy drove by shortly after the 911 call, between 8 a.m. and 8:08 a.m. on July 7 and looked for the described SUVs; however, they were no longer in the area. Witnesses confirmed that the entire event lasted only moments.

Peter issued a statement (https://www.sanjuanjournal.com/news/reports-of-ice-at-the-sandpiper-apartments-at-250-tucker-ave-july-7/) by that afternoon, stating that the Sheriff’s Office cannot interfere with other Federal agencies’ investigations. They also are not allowed to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement due to the Keep Washington Working Act (https://www.atg.wa.gov/keep-washington-working-act-faq-law-enforcement).

Peter voiced frustration that ICE does not have to contact him or his office to let them know when they will be in the county. On July 7, he called multiple numbers for ICE, attempting to get through to a local field office, and when he did finally reach someone, all they would tell him was “there was an encounter in Friday Harbor.”

Peter explained that ICE agents do not have the same identification policies as local law enforcement. In the state of Washington, police must wear badges, have their ID on their uniforms and identify themselves. ICE does not have to follow that, nor are they required to wear body cameras. Recently, Peter said, they have been wearing masks for fear of being doxed (publishing a person’s private information, including addresses and phone numbers) and having protestors show up at their houses.

“I understand that’s very scary,” Peter said, adding that violence is never acceptable.

There is currently a federal bill in the House making it illegal for ICE agents to wear masks.

A longtime Orcas Island resident, Leobardo Fabian Sanchez Cervantes, was detained by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers on June 27 in West Sound after a joint-agency boat safety check. A SJC Sheriff’s boat was on patrol with two U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement officers and one Customs & Border Patrol Officer when they conducted a vessel stop.

After checking Cervantes’ Washington state driver’s license, Coast Guard officers asked about his immigration status. When he admitted his visa had expired, he was transferred to a CBP vessel and taken to Bellingham, then reportedly to the Tacoma Immigration Detention Center.

“Once we found out it had developed into an immigration investigation, we pulled our boat away. We stayed 100 feet for safety, to make sure nothing bad happened,” Peter told the Journal.

He also said in a statement: “The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office is committed to serving and protecting all members of our communities and to adhering to RVCW 10.93.160 Immigration and Citizenship status-Law Enforcement agency restrictions.”

An ad hoc rapid response group in San Juan County is developing to help collect information and resources for locals detained by ICE, but they aren’t ready to share their information publicly yet for the safety of those involved.

What’s next for Moreno

Moreno has been able to speak with his parents daily from the detention center, and according to them, Moreno stated that while he was in the ICE vehicle, a second man was detained near King’s Market. The Journal has been unable to verify this or find more information on this incident.

Moreno told his family that he and the second individual were not allowed to speak and were taken to Roche Harbor. They boarded a private boat and were taken to Bellingham. There, Moreno was able to call his family before being moved to the ICE detention center in Tacoma.

Moreno’s hearing is set for July 17, and he’s been told by his lawyer that he has a 50/50 chance of being deported. His parents are devastated and afraid for Moreno. A family friend told the Journal they’ve been working and sending money back to Mexico, where their daughter is attending medical school.

“A lot of people know Pedro and know the type of person he is,” family members told the Journal. “He’s a young guy, he’s only 22. He doesn’t drink or party. He just works … painting. The only thing he wanted was to be there for his little boy, and he’s really worried about leaving him. We ask for all the support of the community so that he can return to his family. We are hard-working people, and we do not harm society.”

The family admits Moreno was not in the United States legally. His only criminal record is a restraining order violation with the mother of his child. A donation fund to help with legal fees can be found at https://gofund.me/04dd46d8.

Details of the second incident

Between 10 a.m. and noon on Friday, July 11, near Beaverton Valley Road, local artist Guilherme Silva was on his way to pick up his four-year-old daughter when he was stopped by six to seven vehicles that had been parked waiting for him on the road to his home.

According to Silva, an ICE agent by the name of Krystle Mendoza opened his car door and told him to get out because they had a warrant. Silva asked to see it, but she refused, saying she didn’t need to. He was then physically pulled from his vehicle by a male officer and thrown against the car to be arrested.

Silva said in a statement that the other officers, who were all masked, were standing behind them, laughing and making jokes about “not making the news this time.” He said that during the drive, the agents were taking photos of him and the island, laughing and asking questions about his personal life and work. He was then put onto a private boat from Shipyard Cove, according to a video taken by San Juan Island resident Leo Baker, who was at the marina.

Silva was taken to Bellingham, where he was chained ankle to wrist. He was given inconsistent information from various agents, such as “your travel visa expired” and “your work visa expired.” He was eventually able to call his pregnant wife, Rachel Leidig.

“This feels very targeted,” she told the Journal, explaining that they believe someone reported him to ICE. “He does not have a criminal history or any warrants. This experience is heartbreaking and an unnecessary stressor on someone who is seven months pregnant. We are married, going about everything legally, and still, my husband is being targeted. Not because he’s a criminal, but because he wasn’t born here.”

Silva was born in Brazil but travels internationally working as a muralist. He moved to the island in February 2024, where he and his ex-wife share 50/50 custody of their daughter. Silva has since remarried and is in the green card application process with an immigration lawyer. He has no criminal record.

Silva was held for two days in a room in Ferndale, Washington, where the conditions were “terrible.” He slept on the floor and was vomiting due to the food given to him. Silva was finally transferred to the Tacoma detention center and has a court date set for July 29.

Leidig said Silva sounded strong and grounded when they spoke and is taking things step by step.

“He was more concerned about me, his daughter, and his parents,” she said. “I’m just praying that Gui will be released before the birth of our son. I need him here, safe, with me.”

To learn about Silva’s GoFundMe, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/legal-aid-for-gui-and-rachel.