The Crespo family — Venezuelan parents Yohendry and Darianny Crespo and their seven-year-old daughter Diana — were detained by ICE in the Adventist Health Portland parking lot while seeking emergency care for a persistent nosebleed. Hospital officials say they had no contact or coordination with law enforcement. The family reportedly used the CBP app to schedule an asylum appointment in November 2024 and are now being held at a Texas detention facility. The case has fueled debate about immigration enforcement and access to emergency medical care.
ICE Detains Asylum-Seeking Family Outside Portland Hospital — Child Never Saw a Doctor
Crespo family
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained a Venezuelan couple and their seven-year-old daughter as the family tried to enter the emergency room at Adventist Health Portland in Oregon. The child, who was being treated for a persistent nosebleed, did not make it inside the hospital to see a doctor, according to local reports.
What Happened
Last Friday, Yohendry De Jesus Crespo and his wife, Darianny Liseth Gonzalez de Crespo, drove their daughter Diana to Adventist Health Portland after the child developed a nosebleed that would not stop. While the family sat in the hospital parking lot, three unmarked vehicles surrounded their car and ICE agents took the family into custody, family friend Ana Linares told reporters.
“They never got to see a doctor,” a report in OregonLive quoted sources as saying.
Family Background
The Crespos are Venezuelan nationals; their daughter was born in Ecuador. The family reportedly has a pending asylum petition in the United States. Local reporting says the couple spent about a month in Mexico while awaiting an opportunity to enter lawfully, and in November 2024 they used the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) mobile app to schedule an appointment to apply for asylum.
Hospital Response and Where They Are Now
Adventist Health Portland said it had no contact or coordination with law enforcement regarding the arrests. A hospital spokesperson said, “No law enforcement agency contacted us, and we did not coordinate with any agency. Adventist Health Portland is here for our community, open, available, and ready to provide care when it’s needed most.”
Reports indicate the Crespo family is being held at a detention facility in Texas. That same facility is reported to hold five-year-old Liam Ramos, who was recently detained with his father in Minneapolis after arriving home from school.
Why This Matters
The arrests have drawn attention to the intersection of immigration enforcement and access to emergency medical care for asylum-seeking families. Advocates and community members have raised concerns about the timing and location of the arrests and the implications for public health and patients’ ability to seek urgent care without fear.
Sources: Noticias Noroeste (Spanish), OregonLive, Adventist Health statements, family friends.
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