Moises Sotelo, a resident of Newberg for more than three decades and owner of a local vineyard services company, was seized by ICE officers on June 12 in Newberg. (Courtesy photo: Novo Start Vineyard Service).

Federal immigration authorities arrest Moises Sotelo at his home

A Newberg business owner, church chaplain and award-winning member of the wine industry was seized by federal immigration authorities this week.

Moises Sotelo, owner/operator of Novo Start Vineyard Service, was leaving his Newberg home at 5:30 a.m. Thursday, June 12, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers took him into custody. An employee at his 10-person company, founded in April 2024, was also seized Thursday when he left his Newberg home.

Rollin Soles, owner/operator of ROCO Winery and long an associate of Sotelo, bemoaned the fact that ICE seized a longtime, beloved member of the community.

“He does not fit the profile that is being fed to the American people right now,” Soles said. “I don’t know anybody more solid than this.”

ICE’s actions are at the behest of the Trump administration, which has ordered an increase in its immigration enforcement across the nation over the past month.

“So now everyone is terrified and they wonder what’s going to be waiting for them when they walk out their front doors,” Soles said.

Sotelo’s arrest came just two days before local residents are expected to assemble at the River Street flag pole to protest ICE’s actions and the Trump administration. The local protest is among thousands slated for Saturday across the nation.

Daughter reacts on social media

Sotelo’s daughter, Newberg resident Alonda Garcia, took to social media in response to her father’s seizure.

“My dad was taken this morning in Newberg, Oregon,” a tearful Garcia said in a video posted on Facebook, adding that once she heard of her father’s fate she immediately began tracking his cellphone to determine his location. “His location was ICE in Portland.”

ICE has a local field office in south Portland, where a protest was staged Wednesday morning against the federal agency’s actions in Los Angeles over the past week.

“This man has a full thing full of coffee. He was on his way to work. He was on his way to work when he was taken,” she said, holding a large thermos up to the camera. “My dad is not a criminal. He plays by the book, he follows the rules, he is a man of God. He is not a criminal; he is simply brown.”

Garcia said her family was aware that ICE was active in the area and had prepared for a possible seizure: to be always aware of their surroundings, to know what to do in Sotelo’s absence and to have conversations about “what to do and what not to do.”

“Conversations you’re having with 12 year olds, with kids you shouldn’t be having them with because you shouldn’t be worried about being taken,” she said. “No matter how much you prepare, no matter how much you talk about it, it happens to you and your family is torn apart. No words, no actions can mend that.”

Garcia urged others to be prepared and access the resources available in case it happens to them.

“Because apparently when your parents want to give you the best life they can, they get persecuted for it,” Garcia said.

ICE database confirms that Sotelo is in custody

Calls to gain information and comment from federal immigration enforcement officials by news partner Oregon Public Broadcasting were not returned by press time Friday afternoon. An ICE detainee database acknowledges that Sotelo was taken into custody, OPB reported, but what charges he faces and where he was transported to remains unknown.

Former employer speaks of man’s integrity

A former employer of Sotelo spoke to OPB on condition of anonymity out of fear his own vineyard business would be targeted by federal authorities. The source said Sotelo was in the process of trying to become a United States citizen.

“He’s one of those guys that I go to lunch with and he always says a prayer. He regularly attends church,” the source said, adding that as far as he knows Sotelo had no criminal background that would make him a target of ICE. “He was a good employee to me, he was never a no-show. I trust him fully.”

Sotelo was well regarded in the wine community. He garnered the Vineyard Excellence Award from the Oregon Wine Board in 2020 while he was an employee at NewGen Vineyard Services.

School officials release statement

In light of ICE’s recent actions, Newberg-Dundee Public Schools released a statement to families on Thursday. A growing segment of the student population at Newberg and Dundee schools are Latino.

“We were made aware of ICE activity in our community over the night and throughout today,” Superintendent Dave Parker wrote. “Our leadership team worked closely with school principals to ensure a safe and secure last day of school. At this time, we have not had any disruptions to our schools or offices, and we ended our last day of school safely.”

The district’s policy should federal immigration authorities seek information or access to students requires that those authorities be directed to the district’s headquarters. Only a court order or subpoena could require the district to provide law enforcement with all but the most basic information on students or the schools.

“Every student in our district has the right to a safe and supportive learning environment free from fear or unnecessary intrusion,” Parker said.