Seattle 'Dreamer' protected by Obama jailed, faces deportation Friday arrest likely the first arrest of DACA recipient since Trump took office

A 23-year-old Seattle man arrested last week may have been the first "Dreamer" arrested under President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration. He is being held in Tacoma's Northwest Detention Center.

Pictured: A worker shuts a gate at the privately-run Tacoma Northwest Detention Center which houses U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees. A group of detainees in the facility are on the fifth day of a hunger strike. Family members and supporters have been gathering outside the facility to call for immigration reform and better treatment of the detainees. Photographed on Tuesday, March 11, 2014. less A 23-year-old Seattle man arrested last week may have been the first "Dreamer" arrested under President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration. He is being held in Tacoma's Northwest Detention Center.

Pictured: ... more Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Seattle 'Dreamer' protected by Obama jailed, faces deportation 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A Seattle resident who first came to the U.S. as a child may have been the first person arrested under President Donald Trump of an immigrant protected by an Obama-era order.

Reuters reported Tuesday afternoon that 23-year-old Daniel Ramirez Medina was arrested last week in his father's Seattle home by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. He had no criminal record, according to the report.

Ramirez Medina had a work permit and protection from deportation under former President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, established in 2012, according to documents filed in the U.S. District Court.

The officers gave no reason to Ramirez Medina upon his arrest, other than saying he wasn't born in this country, said Ethan Dettmer, a partner with law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and one of the attorneys representing Ramirez Medina.

"We're sincerely hoping that this is a mistake and it's going to be rectified," Dettmer said.

Ramirez Medina had been approved twice under DACA, according to the documents.

Those protected under the program, often called Dreamers, can have at least temporary rights to work in the U.S. and their status in the program can be useful to help them eventually seek legal status. About 750,000 people in the U.S. are protected under DACA.

In a statement issued Tuesday evening, ICE spokesperson Rose Richeson said Ramirez Medina was arrested for his "self-admitted" affiliation with a gang.

"ICE officers took Mr. Ramirez into custody based on his admitted gang affiliation and risk to public safety," Richeson said in an emailed statement.

Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney for Ramirez Medina, followed soon after with a statement saying otherwise.

"Mr. Ramirez unequivocally denies being in a gang," Rosenbaum wrote. "While in custody, he was repeatedly pressured by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to falsely admit affiliation. The statement issued tonight by Ms. Richeson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is inaccurate."

Ramirez Medina was being held at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma as of Tuesday afternoon.

The officers had arrived at the home to arrest Ramirez Medina's father, who was a previously deported felon, according to the ICE statement.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., issued a statement Tuesday evening calling for Ramirez Medina's "immediate" release.

"President Trump's deportation force has struck our community and taken one of our own," Jayapal said in the statement. "It's unconscionable that Daniel, who trusted the government and registered under DACA, was picked up and sent to a detention center. Seattle stands with Daniel and we will not back down until he is free."

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and City Councilwoman Lorena Gonzalez also issued a statement Tuesday evening, seeking clarification from ICE on its deportation policy.

"Information about the arrest of a DACA recipient last Friday remains scarce and questions remain unanswered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)," the statement read. "More details should be released about what led to this arrest, including whether the detention of a DACA recipient is a shift in immigration policy related to DACA recipients. We have sought these answers from ICE's Seattle Field Office."

Ramirez Medina on Monday filed a challenge to his detention -- a writ of habeas corpus -- arguing the arrest was a violation of his constitutional rights.

"The agents who arrested and questioned Mr. Ramirez were aware that he was a DACA recipient, yet they informed him that he would be arrested, detained, and deported anyway, because he was not 'born in this country,'" attorneys wrote in the petition, filed in U.S. District Court.

A hearing is set for Friday at U.S. District Court in Seattle.

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., tweeted about the case Tuesday afternoon: "It's unacceptable #DREAMERS who were brought to U.S. as kids & have grown up, gone to school here are being detained," she wrote.

Trump has promised an end to the DACA program, created by executive order, but has only vaguely indicated that he might allow Dreamers to remain in the U.S. after the program is gone.

Those who have obtained a work permit through the program have filed personal information with the federal government, including addresses and other information that could be used to find them. Obama had promised to use the information only for issuing work permits and Social Security cards.

"But now, maybe Trump could use that information to track us down," said Dulce Siguenza, who works with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and is also protected by DACA, in a recent interview.

A regional spokesperson for ICE did not immediately return requests for comment.

Earlier Tuesday, the city of Seattle joined a broad coalition of 20 cities in opposition to detention of immigrants without due process. The 20 cities filed an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking that the court uphold constitutional protections for those held in prolonged mandatory immigration detention.

The brief was filed in a case asking the court to reaffirm an allowance for a bond hearing every six months for immigrants who are held long-term during deportation proceedings.

Seattlepi.com reporter Lynsi Burton contributed to this report.

Daniel DeMay covers Seattle culture, business and transportation for seattlepi.com. He can be reached at 206-448-8362 or danieldemay@seattlepi.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Daniel_DeMay.

