Friends, family members and strangers have stepped up in a big way to help a Newberg man and business owner taken into custody by federal immigration officials last week.

A GoFundMe account (tinyurl.com/km45b9d9), created soon after Moises Sotelo was arrested, had topped $95,170 as of Tuesday afternoon.

The account was set up by Sotelo’s daughter, Alondra Garcia, and two others with the initial goal of raising $75,000. Now that more than 1,300 people have submitted pledges of $5 to $5,000, the goal has been raised to $125,000.

Garcia wrote that the funds will be used to hire immigration attorneys to represent Sotelo in court; cover bonds, application costs and court-related expenses in order to secure his release; pay for travel, document translation and administrative fees; help his family pay its monthly expenses and keep Sotelo’s business, Novo Start Vineyard Services, afloat during his absence.

“Moises and his family’s situation is extremely fluid at this time,” Garcia posted on the GoFundMe site. “Regardless of what happens in the coming days and weeks, the Sotelo family urgently needs support …”

Sotelo, 54, was headed to work at roughly 5:30 a.m. 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 seized the following day when he left his Newberg home.

ICE officials have since released a statement alleging that Sotelo was cited for driving under the influence of intoxicants in 2006 and subsequently deported back to his home country of Mexico.

“ICE Seattle arrested Moises Sotelo-Casas, 54, who is a citizen of Mexico, as a part of routine federal law enforcement activity that identifies, detains and removes criminal aliens to their country of origin,” ICE Public Affairs Officer David Yost said in a prepared statement. “Sotelo has a criminal conviction for DUI in Newberg, OR, and he will remain in custody pending removal.”

However, the Oregon eCourt Case Information system, a database that contains arrests and prosecutions in Yamhill and other counties across the state dating back more than 30 years, indicates that Sotelo has had only one run-in with the law: he was cited in 1997 by Sherwood police for excessive speed. A Sherwood Municipal Court judge fined him $65 for the offense.

Searches in the database of the various iterations of Sotelo’s name used by local and federal government officials, as well as his family, revealed no additional offenses.

According to the ICE detention database, Sotelo has been transferred to ICE’s Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington.

Impassioned pleas come from family

Sotelo’s family reached out to the Newberg community seeking help via the GoFundMe account.

“Moises has always given back to his family, his employees, his customers and his community,” the post said. “Now, he needs our collective help. By standing together, we can help ensure he receives fair legal defense and protect his family’s unity and well-being.”

The post not only called on individuals to donate monetarily, but also to share the GoFundMe campaign with others, provide info on immigration attorneys or nonprofits assisting migrant families and “send a message of solidarity to Moises’s family – your encouragement matters.”