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Longtime Güero cook detained by ICE while driving to work in Portland

May 8, 2026 · Tacoma, WA

DetainmentWorkplaceLitigationVehicle/Traffic StopWashington
Longtime Güero cook detained by ICE while driving to work in Portland

José 'Poni' Góngora Poot, a cook who worked at Portland restaurant Güero for a decade, was detained by ICE agents on May 8 while driving to work near his home. He was removed from his vehicle and taken into custody. Góngora Poot is being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. A GoFundMe fundraiser was created to support him, raising over $30,000.

Timeline

May 8, 2024—José 'Poni' Góngora Poot detained by ICE agents while driving to work near his home; removed from vehicle and taken into custody
May 8, 2024—Góngora Poot transferred to Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington
May 8, 2024—Güero restaurant posted about detention on Instagram; GoFundMe fundraiser created

Sources

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