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Palestinian detainee says ICE broke his teeth after he refused deportation flight

Sep 9, 2026·Location: Vancouver, WA

Country of origin: Palestine

Palestinian detainee says ICE broke his teeth after he refused deportation flight
Photo via Instagram

Tareq Zakarneh, a 44-year-old Palestinian man who lived in Portland and Vancouver, Washington for more than a decade, has been in ICE detention since May 2024, mostly at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. He moved to the U.S. on a student visa in 2013 to attend Portland State University and later married a U.S. citizen, but lost his legal status after a divorce in 2017, when an immigration court found the marriage was not entered in good faith. Zakarneh said ICE agents beat him and broke his teeth on Sept. 9 after he refused to board a deportation flight to the West Bank via Tel Aviv, restraining him on the floor for four hours without access to water or a bathroom, leaving his hand and shoulder swollen and numb while he received only ibuprofen. Advocates and Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden have raised concerns about his treatment and the danger he could face if deported amid escalating violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Timeline

Sep 9, 2026—Zakarneh refused to board deportation flight to the West Bank via Tel Aviv; says ICE agents beat him, broke his teeth, and restrained him on the floor for four hours without water or bathroom access
May 1, 2024—Tareq Zakarneh taken into ICE detention, held mostly at Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma
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