Gresham family detained by federal agents while seeking medical care for child

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – A Gresham family of asylum seekers was detained by federal agents outside a Portland hospital while pursuing medical care for their daughter.

On Jan. 16, Yohendry De Jesus Crespo and his wife, Darianny Liseth Gonzalez De Crespo — both from Venezuela — drove their 7-year-old daughter to the Adventist Health Campus emergency room in Southeast Portland. She was experiencing an active nosebleed.

But before they were able to see a doctor, a family friend who chose to stay anonymous said unmarked vehicles surrounded the building and federal agents took the family into custody.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed Friday that it was Border Patrol agents who detained the family of three.

“They handcuffed him, they handcuffed Darianny, and the girl obviously started crying, and they took them away,” the family friend told FOX 12 in a translated interview.

The friend says that following being taken into custody, the family was driven by van to Washington state and then flown to Texas, where they are now being held together at a family detention center.

The ICE Detainee Locator database shows the parents are located at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center.

ICE has not responded to a request for comment, but a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated in part:

“These parents illegally entered the U.S. with their daughter in 2024 through the disastrous CBP One app and were released into the country by the Biden administration.”

In 2024, the CBP One app was a government-authorized method for asylum seekers to schedule asylum appointments in the U.S. at ports of entry.

The use of the app for scheduling those appointments was discontinued by the incoming Trump administration in January 2025.

According to the family friend, the Crespo-Gonzalez family was awaiting an immigration court date in 2028. She says they recently moved to the Portland area from Utah and are applying for a work permit. She also claims the couple has no criminal record.

“The only crime we have committed is leaving our country, risking our lives and the lives of our children to seek a better future and stability,” the friend told FOX 12.

An Adventist Health spokesperson sent FOX 12 the following statement regarding the incident:

“We have no information regarding this family, including any arrest or detention that may have occurred in our parking lot. No law enforcement agency contacted us, and we did not coordinate with any agency.

Adventist Health Portland is here for our community, open, available, and ready to provide care when it’s needed most. Patient care remains our priority, regardless of circumstances.”

Two weeks ago, at the Adventist Health Campus, two undocumented Venezuelan nationals were shot by Border Patrol agents. The Department of Homeland Security said an officer fired after the driver used a vehicle as a weapon and attempted to run them over.

State Representative Ricki Ruiz, who represents Gresham, said in an interview with FOX 12 that while the two cases are very different, immigration enforcement should not take place in sensitive locations.

“This is why the Obama administration purposely put in place that areas like hospitals, places of worship, and schools were sensitive locations, and that we should respect that those areas should not be entered by ICE agents.”

The Oregon Nurses Association released a statement this afternoon in response to the detainment. They said in part:

“Detaining a family while they seek medical care for a child is unconscionable and does not just violate the ethical obligations of frontline caregivers; it violates the fundamental ethical obligation of healthcare institutions.”

The Crespo-Gonzalez family is speaking with an attorney.

This is a developing story.

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