Oregon ACLU Unavailable To Help Child

Posted on November 8, 2007

Angela and Steve Brandt got the call Friday afternoon that they had dreaded all week: State officials will send the little boy the couple has raised since he was 4 months old to Mexico to live with his grandmother.

The reason? The state put family and cultural ties ahead of his foster parents.

“We’re in shock. Otherwise we’d be crying our heads off,” said Steve Brandt, a Lincoln County deputy sheriff who has been foster dad to 2-year-old Gabriel Allred for the past 20 months.

The Brandts, who live in Toledo near the Oregon coast, also have four boys ages 7 to 14. They asked the state to adopt the toddler.

But the Department of Human Services makes placing children with relatives a priority, and officials had located a paternal grandmother in Mexico who was also interested in raising Gabriel, who was born in Oregon.

“Everything about this was in Gabriel’s best interest,” said agency spokeswoman Ann Snyder. “This is in no way a negative reflection on the foster parents. The good news here is there were two safe and loving homes.”

So ripping this child away from the only family he has ever known and forcing him to live with a complete stranger because they are a blood relative is in the best interest of the child? Something isn’t right with this picture.

Gabriel’s biological mother cannot be found. She had pleaded guilty to felony drug charges in March 2006 but never appeared in court to be sentenced.

Gabriel’s father, Roberto Valiente Martinez, 26, was released from Oregon prison last month after serving time on drug charges. He had also been twice convicted of attempted first-degree rape involving a child. The victim, according to Clatsop County prosecutors, was a 15-year-old girl.

This week, federal immigration authorities confirmed that Valiente Martinez has been deported to Mexico. The Brandts argued that the father planned to return to his mother’s house. If he did, the child would be in danger, they said.

“He’s a convicted sex offender and a convicted drug trafficker,” Brandt said. “Why would you send that child into that type of atmosphere?”

Steve from Dead Fish Wrapper Watch emailed this one to me, and wraps up the commentary of the ACLU’s lack of interest very well.

Lars Larson, the talk show host who has been talking about this story since it first came out, contacted the ACLU to see if they would help, and of course, they said there is nothing they can do, even though the family is going to court. I guess they can only help when someone needs prayer or the flag banned.

» Filed Under ACLU, Border Control/Homeland Security, Child Exploitation, News

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Comments

3 Responses to “Oregon ACLU Unavailable To Help Child”

CathyC on November 9th, 2007 9:27 am

What can be done to stop this? can the grandmother be convinced her grandson would be safer with his foster family in Oregon?
golden phoenix on November 9th, 2007 6:31 pm

Will this be another ELIAN GONZALAS incedent under KINDER KING WILLIAM
Barbara Heath on November 10th, 2007 11:27 am

The ACLU’s mandate is to defend cases that attack the first 10 amendments of the constitution. This case is an outrage, but which amendment of the Bill of Rights is being attacked here? We need to stop this travesty by Oregon Dept of Human Services, but asking the ACLU to help in this case is like asking the football team to help in surgery.