ICE moves to deport Oregon vineyard manager
After six weeks, and despite public outcry, Trump administration seems to make an example of Moises Sotelo
Update, July 20, 2025: New York Times columnist Nicolas Kristof, who lives and farms in the Willamette Valley, reported in his column over the weekend that Moises Sotelo was deported to Mexico on Friday, July 18. Kristof includes more information than had been available before and describes how a region that voted for President Trump three times is grappling with the loss of a respected community member. (Gift link).
After several weeks of quiet that followed a firestorm of public outcry, the Trump administration appears poised to deport a respected vineyard manager who has been in Oregon’s Willamette Valley for more than three decades and become a pillar of his community.
Moises Sotelo was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on June 12 as he drove to work at his vineyard management company in Newberg, Oregon. I’ve written about his case twice here, and it’s been in local news, especially in the early days following his detention.
On Wednesday, July 16, this update was posted on the GoFundMe page set up to help his family with legal expenses:
With a heavy heart, we want to update everyone that Moises is being deported to Mexico this week. The Sotelo family is still working on ways to attempt to bring him home, but at the moment, his case is closed. We hope to continue to post updates to this GoFundMe when possible.
Some caveats: I’m not an investigative journalist, and I don’t have direct insight into what ICE is doing here. I do have friends and contacts in Oregon, who are understandably circumspect in what they are saying about Sotelo’s case.
Here’s what we know from various news reports and my own reporting:
Sotelo was arrested June 12, and quickly moved to ICE detention in Tacoma, Washington. He was briefly moved to Arizona, presumably to deport him, but returned to Tacoma after public outcry over his detention.
He has been in the Willamette Valley since 1994, according to his own website, and started his own vineyard management company last year.
ICE claimed he came to the US in 2006 and had a criminal DUI conviction, therefore justifying his deportation as a “criminal” illegal alien. Yamhill County in Oregon had no record of such a conviction.
He is a father and grandfather, and active in his local church. While in detention in Tacoma, he even organized prayer sessions with fellow detainees.
He applied for US citizenship during the Biden administration, so he was presumably “in the system” for ICE to identify him as an undocumented immigrant. That’s my speculation. Further speculation: To answer those who question why he waited so long to apply for status — he may have needed a petition from an adult US citizen child.
Although an employee of Sotelo’s vineyard management company was detained before Sotelo was, there has not apparently been a widespread ICE campaign aimed at Willamette Valley vineyard workers.
It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that ICE picked up someone in their system because he was applying for legal status, and stuck to its argument because of pressure to deport anyone in this country without authorization, criminal record or no.
Or maybe Sotelo is a convenient example to the wine industry, which depends to a large degree on migrant (and undocumented) labor, that the Trump administration is watching and prepared to crack down. Though to be honest, this theory implies a strategic vision I’m not entirely ready to attribute to this administration. It’s hard to escape the conclusion that simply because Sotelo came here without a visa — or overstayed his visa — he is now being treated as a “criminal alien.” And no one is asking if the problem perhaps isn’t the “alien,” but the system that allowed him to flourish for 30 years suddenly can’t accommodate him in any way other than labeling him “criminal.”
What is clear: Moises Sotelo is the type of person we want in this country. A family man, hard working, entrepreneurial, tax-paying, active in his community and church, raising a family and grandchildren who are citizens and community members in their own right. He’s not an “invader” stealing jobs from US citizens. He built a life for himself and created a company to employ others. His story is repeated over and over in every wine region in this country, as well as in farms, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, office buildings and other businesses we all depend on.
Is this the country we want to be?
Update, July 17, 12:52 pm Eastern time: Following publication of this article, I heard from Emily Petterson, spokesperson for the Willamette Valley Wineries Association. “[T]he Oregon wine community continues to support the people at the heart of our industry. We’re advocating for fair treatment, supporting legal resources, and sharing accurate information to help vineyard and winery teams navigate uncertainty,” she said.
“Moises is deeply respected, and his case has strengthened our collective commitment.”
Also, thanks to subscriber Theodora, who alerted me to the update on Sotelo’s GoFundMe page.
That's a heartbreaking story. I'm sending prayers for him and his family.