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Border Patrol agents arrest man in Juneau, who is on a federal hold at LCCC
- Jasz Garrett
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Local refugee group sounds alarm bells for ICE detainments, arrests on outstanding warrants
By Jasz Garrett and Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
This story has been updated with additional information from the Juneau School District.
A man was arrested in Juneau by U.S. Border Patrol officials on Wednesday, with reports of the officers’ presence prompting local refugee advocates to issue warnings.
Jose Manuel Rivera-Rivera was remanded to Lemon Creek Correctional Center on Wednesday afternoon, according to Betsy Holley, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Corrections. Specifics of his arrest and the charges involved were not immediately available.
Holley said he is currently one of two federal holds in the state’s DOC, with the other person held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex.
Juneau Police Department Chief Derek Bos confirmed an operation by local U.S. Border Patrol agents on Wednesday.
“The local US Border Patrol agents did conduct an operation yesterday; JPD was not a part of their operation,” Bos wrote in an email Thursday. “Since we weren’t a part of it, I don’t have any more information to share.”
Inquiries by the Juneau Independent to the U.S. Border Patrol Blaine Sector Headquarters did not receive an immediate response Thursday.
Photos sent to the Independent on Wednesday by two separate individuals show an unidentified black vehicle, with witness accounts describing possible U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity at Thunder Mountain Middle School. An additional description of activity at the school was provided Thursday by Juneau School District Superintendent Shawn Arnold.
“At approximately 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29, a community member alerted district staff to a police presence in the back parking lot at Thunder Mountain Middle School. Another staff member and I went to investigate,” he wrote in an email to the Independent. “We observed several JPD patrol cars and two unmarked SUVs with government license plates. The individuals present were not involved in any active incident, and we could not confirm their agency or specific business on site. They departed shortly after our arrival.”
Arnold added no students were on campus for summer programs at the time and JSD has no record or information regarding any secondary or afternoon incidents on school grounds. In a later email, he clarified he was unsure about the involvement between JPD patrol cars and the unmarked vehicles.
Joyanne Bloom, a member of a local refugee support circle, sent an email Thursday to refugees living in Juneau following the arrest.
She said the local advocacy group was told ICE agents are participating in law enforcement arrests on outstanding warrants. She said the group was also notified about someone being detained and removed near the middle school on Wednesday afternoon.
“Please help spread the word, report any details by replying to this email, and stay safe,” Bloom wrote, adding resources from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Border Patrol launched in Juneau in 2024, stationing two officers in Juneau with a promise to focus on drug busts rather than mass deportations. The officers work with police, tribal and other agencies throughout Southeast Alaska.
“We don’t want people to be concerned that there’s a restaurant that’s going to get raided or something like that,” Ross Wilkin, patrol agent in charge of the Blaine Sector office, told the Empire at the time. “This is not the goal of this effort.”
The Border Patrol showcased its presence in May of 2025 with a joint aerial patrol with Alaska Wildlife Troopers of the Taku River area northeast of Juneau, following earlier assertions by officials the area might be a route for drug smuggling. No enforcement actions were taken.
Bos told the Juneau Assembly’s Human Resources Committee in February that three men were detained locally by immigration enforcement officials and removed from the community last year. None of the three arrests nor the one reported this week have known ties to drug-related charges.
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356. Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
