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Immigration arrests at the Multnomah County Courthouse and the Multnomah County Jail have come under scrutiny in recent weeks.

(Oregonian/OregonLive file photo)

Updated Feb. 2 at 6:15 p.m. with man's identity and ICE statement

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office is conducting an internal investigation into whether county policies were violated when immigration agents arrested a man at an appointment with sheriff's deputies, a spokesman said.

The man was arrested Dec. 21 when he went to the Multnomah County Justice Center for a required appointment with sheriff's deputies, said his lawyer, Kasia Rutledge. He was required to meet with the deputies once a week as a condition for his pre-trial release, Rutledge said.

Rutledge declined to identify the man, citing confidentiality issues. She could not say what he was charged with, she said.

Immigration agents arrested Julio Montejo-Mex, 21, on Dec. 21, ICE and sheriff's officials confirmed. Montejo-Mex was charged with several domestic violence crimes, including assault, strangulation and kidnapping, court records show.

Rutledge's client, accompanied by his mother, had an appointment with Deputy Larry Wenzel, Rutledge said. Wenzel originally told him he could come in any time Dec. 21, Rutledge said, but later called back to ask him to come in at 10 a.m.

When he arrived, immigration agents arrested him, she said.

Rutledge suspects sheriff's officials notified immigration authorities of her client's appointment.

"ICE would have never known when or where he was supposed to be otherwise," she said.

Rutledge learned of the arrest from her client's mother, she said.

In a Dec. 21 email obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive, Rutledge asked Wenzel if immigration agents had taken her client into custody. He replied that they had.

Rutledge asked him how agents knew her client was at the Justice Center.

"They asked when he would be here and I told them," Wenzel replied.

Rutledge's client was awaiting trial and had not been convicted of a crime, she said. He in the process of getting his citizenship, she said.

He is now in a federal detention center in Tacoma and will likely be deported, Rutledge said.

Immigration officers targeted Montejo-Mex for arrest based on his criminal and immigration history, ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said.

Montejo-Mex's recent charges raised "concerns he presents a threat to public safety," Kice said in an email.

Montejo-Mex also has a 2016 felony conviction in Washington, Kice said. He was never lawfully admitted to the country, Kice said.

Lt. Chad Gaidos, a Multnomah County Sheriff's Office spokesman, said the sheriff's office is aware of the case and is investigating for any policy violations.

Gaidos declined to comment further on the specifics of the incident, citing the open investigation.

Sheriff Mike Reese has directed all staff, if immigration authorities contact them, to not release any more information or access than would be provided to the general public, according to a staff memo obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive. Any requests for more information or access should be routed to the sheriff's records division, the memo said.

Reese has said the sheriff's office does not use agency resources or personnel to enforce federal immigration law and does not hold people on ICE detainers.

Reports of an immigration crackdown at Multnomah County Courthouse prompted condemnation from defense attorneys and a joint statement this weekend from Portland leaders expressing "grave concern" about the resulting fear.

Multnomah County and Portland leaders said last week that they are committed to remaining sanctuary jurisdictions for undocumented immigrants.

-- Samantha Matsumoto