The Oregon 7-year-old and her parents who were arrested outside a Portland hospital ER two weeks ago are on their way home after U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter apparently secured their release.
The family from Gresham – father Yohendry De Jesus Crespo, mother Darianny Liseth Gonzalez de Crespo and their daughter, Diana Crespo-Gonzalez — are expected to arrive early Saturday at Portland International Airport with Dexter.
They are originally from Venezuela, entered the U.S. legally in November 2024 and have a pending asylum petition, according to Ana Linares, a close family friend who lives in Portland. Linares said the family moved to Portland from Utah in late October.
“I’m filled with joy that our Oregon family is coming home and yet outraged for the many other children and families who remain imprisoned by our government. Detention of children and families is immoral,” Dexter said in a statement. “End family detention. Defund and dismantle ICE. That is the moral path forward.”
She didn’t disclose details of negotiations that led to the family’s release. She referred questions to the family’s Portland lawyers. The Innovation Law Lab, which represents the family, did not reply to calls and emails seeking comment on the case.
Immigration agents detained the family in front of the Adventist Health emergency department on Jan. 16 as the parents sought emergency medical care for their daughter’s prolonged nosebleed.
Dexter, D-Ore., traveled to Texas from Washington, D.C., to check on the family’s welfare and to see if she could get them out.
She was denied entry into the Dilley Immigration Processing Center near San Antonio on Thursday afternoon and went back to the facility on Friday to again advocate for the family.
Several other lawmakers who have advocated for the family’s release, including state Rep. Ricki Ruiz of Gresham, said they will be at the airport to welcome the child and her parents home.
Ruiz, who has chronicled the family’s detention on his Facebook page and spoken about them to his fellow lawmakers in Salem, said he was relieved and grateful to learn about their release.
“A child is free, and a family is together. That is what matters most,” he said in a statement. “As a parent of a 4-year-old, I cannot imagine the fear of watching your child get sick and not knowing whether they will receive the care they need. No family should ever have to experience that, especially while simply trying to see a doctor.”
Ruiz added that the family’s case exposed serious concerns about the treatment of children in detention and the lack of transparency and accountability inside detention facilities.
“I remain committed to continuing this work and to ensuring humane care, real oversight and dignity for every child and family,” he said.
Dilley, the country’s largest family detention center, has been under lockdown due to a measles outbreak, with a quarantine and all movement halted at the facility since last Saturday.
The center, which currently holds more than 1,100 people including a 2-month-old baby, has been the subject of many reports and lawsuits detailing inadequate medical care, contaminated water, poor‑quality food, severely limited educational opportunities and significant psychological stress experienced by children.
Friday marked the 22nd day of the Gresham family’s detention. That’s despite a decades-old federal policy stemming from a court settlement that limits the immigration detention of children to no more than 20 days.
The Dilley center is the same place where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos of Minnesota was detained with his father, both originally from Ecuador. The boy’s viral bunny‑hat photo drew national attention after he was swept up with his father. Father and son were released last Saturday after 12 days in detention.
Since the Gresham family was detained, Oregon lawmakers have been advocating for them with immigration authorities. Earlier this week, a nonprofit social justice group also started a public campaign to call for the release of the 7-year-old and her parents.
Linares, the family friend who was instrumental in making their case public, described a rush of emotions upon hearing of her friends’ release. “Excited, I cried, happy, overjoyed,” she told The Oregonian/OregonLive in Spanish. “What a great feeling!”