PORTLAND, OR - A Fox affiliate news network in Portland made waves earlier in February after publishing a story where a Beaverton, Oregon family is blaming Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for their father’s death, despite the individual passing in Mexico from pneumonia.
On February 20th, Portland-based news outlet Fox 12 published a story with the headline, “‘No one deserves this’: Beaverton father dies after deportation to Mexico,” with the article in question serving as a signal boost for a family from Beaverton who are effectively blaming ICE for their father's passing away in Mexico following complications from pneumonia.
The deceased, Paulino Martin San Pedro, was reportedly detained back in November 2025 by ICE and “deported to Mexico within days,” according to the Fox 12 report, then vaguely describing the timeline, mentioning that he was “then hospitalized and died of pneumonia shortly thereafter at age 53.”
Fox 12 interviewed San Pedro’s son, Eric, who reportedly “believes his dad’s condition was triggered by his experience of being detained and then deported to a country he hasn’t lived in for more than 30 years.”
“I think if we fought it here, he would have had a better chance of being with his family, having me, having his day one support system versus going home to a place you haven’t been in 30 years,” Eric stated, adding, “I thoroughly blame ICE, I blame our government because there is a better way to do all of this besides shipping people away.”
It should go without saying, but simply being repatriated to one’s home country doesn’t cause pneumonia, nor do the aforementioned circumstances inherently cause the illness. A cursory review of the symptoms, causes, and methods of prevention of pneumonia via the Mayo Clinic shows the infection is contracted much like similarly spread cold and flu viruses.
It is, of course, unfortunate that a family lost their father, but pneumonia isn’t something that exclusively exists in Mexico. Furthermore, despite what some may perceive as a nation of substandard healthcare, Mexico’s healthcare system has been fairly top-notch for some time, with reports dating back to 2009 highlighting how the nation has become a top “medical tourism” destination for Americans living in southern states.
But facts don’t matter with anti-ICE activists with an axe to grind, and the same notion extends to their media acolytes who have an agenda to push. In recent years, the phrase “you don’t hate journalists enough” has gained widespread use and attention, and this story coming out of Portland serves as another example of why this aphorism is so relevant.
While the circumstances revolving around San Pedro’s passing should’ve resulted in a family coming together and mourning their loss privately, it is instead being exploited as anti-ICE propaganda despite the decedent’s passing having zero to do with his deportation last November.
And while people are entitled to their beliefs and sentiments stemming from a loss in their family, regardless of how irrational those sentiments may be, those unfounded or irrational claims and beliefs don’t have to be given a proverbial megaphone courtesy of a supposedly objective news outlet. However, as seen in this case, the irrational has been afforded a podium because it serves the mainstream media machine’s agenda.
Make no mistake, this story coming out of Portland is neither the first nor the last of its kind. Vindictive pundits and on-the-ground activists will continue to distort the truth so long as their manipulated tales can be used as a club or cudgel against their modern-day target, which currently happens to be ICE.
So, as the aphorism goes, you don’t hate journalists enough.
On February 20th, Portland-based news outlet Fox 12 published a story with the headline, “‘No one deserves this’: Beaverton father dies after deportation to Mexico,” with the article in question serving as a signal boost for a family from Beaverton who are effectively blaming ICE for their father's passing away in Mexico following complications from pneumonia.
The deceased, Paulino Martin San Pedro, was reportedly detained back in November 2025 by ICE and “deported to Mexico within days,” according to the Fox 12 report, then vaguely describing the timeline, mentioning that he was “then hospitalized and died of pneumonia shortly thereafter at age 53.”
Fox 12 interviewed San Pedro’s son, Eric, who reportedly “believes his dad’s condition was triggered by his experience of being detained and then deported to a country he hasn’t lived in for more than 30 years.”
“I think if we fought it here, he would have had a better chance of being with his family, having me, having his day one support system versus going home to a place you haven’t been in 30 years,” Eric stated, adding, “I thoroughly blame ICE, I blame our government because there is a better way to do all of this besides shipping people away.”
It should go without saying, but simply being repatriated to one’s home country doesn’t cause pneumonia, nor do the aforementioned circumstances inherently cause the illness. A cursory review of the symptoms, causes, and methods of prevention of pneumonia via the Mayo Clinic shows the infection is contracted much like similarly spread cold and flu viruses.
It is, of course, unfortunate that a family lost their father, but pneumonia isn’t something that exclusively exists in Mexico. Furthermore, despite what some may perceive as a nation of substandard healthcare, Mexico’s healthcare system has been fairly top-notch for some time, with reports dating back to 2009 highlighting how the nation has become a top “medical tourism” destination for Americans living in southern states.
But facts don’t matter with anti-ICE activists with an axe to grind, and the same notion extends to their media acolytes who have an agenda to push. In recent years, the phrase “you don’t hate journalists enough” has gained widespread use and attention, and this story coming out of Portland serves as another example of why this aphorism is so relevant.
While the circumstances revolving around San Pedro’s passing should’ve resulted in a family coming together and mourning their loss privately, it is instead being exploited as anti-ICE propaganda despite the decedent’s passing having zero to do with his deportation last November.
And while people are entitled to their beliefs and sentiments stemming from a loss in their family, regardless of how irrational those sentiments may be, those unfounded or irrational claims and beliefs don’t have to be given a proverbial megaphone courtesy of a supposedly objective news outlet. However, as seen in this case, the irrational has been afforded a podium because it serves the mainstream media machine’s agenda.
Make no mistake, this story coming out of Portland is neither the first nor the last of its kind. Vindictive pundits and on-the-ground activists will continue to distort the truth so long as their manipulated tales can be used as a club or cudgel against their modern-day target, which currently happens to be ICE.
So, as the aphorism goes, you don’t hate journalists enough.
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