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Wapato father detained by ICE after wife filmed and confronted agents at courthouse

Aug 31, 2025·Location: Wapato, WA

Country of origin: Mexico

Wapato father detained by ICE after wife filmed and confronted agents at courthouse
Photo via yakimaherald.com

Joseluis Ramirez, who moved to the U.S. from Mexico as a teenager and has lived in the country for roughly two decades, was stopped and detained by ICE while driving to work in Wapato, Washington on Aug. 31, after several vehicles blocked him at a stop sign. Ramirez has no criminal record and had worked at the same fruit company for 15 years, serving as the sole provider for his wife Vanessa Jimenez and her five children, all U.S. citizens, including a stepson, Evan Frias, who calls him 'dad.' Days before his arrest, Jimenez had confronted and filmed ICE agents outside the Yakima County jail and at the Yakima Municipal Court, and she suspects agents used a photo of her vehicle or license plate data to track down her husband. Agents reportedly encouraged Ramirez to sign self-deportation papers, which he declined. His bond request was later denied, and his family has filed a habeas corpus petition and started a GoFundMe to cover legal fees and household expenses while caring for two children with developmental delays and managing Jimenez's own disabling injury.

Timeline

Aug 31, 2025Joseluis Ramirez was stopped and detained by ICE while driving to work in Wapato after vehicles blocked him at a stop sign; agents reportedly urged him to sign self-deportation papers, which he refused.
Aug 31, 2025Ramirez's bond request was denied at a hearing.
Aug 31, 2025Family filed a habeas corpus petition and started a GoFundMe to cover legal fees and household expenses.
Aug 28, 2025Vanessa Jimenez filmed and confronted ICE agents outside the Yakima County jail and at Yakima Municipal Court.
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