Sen. Patty Murray: ICE dog attack on Wash. man 'should shock the conscience'

Caitlyn Freeman, The Seattle Times on Dec 7, 2025

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When a man dressed as a construction worker knocked on Wilmer Toledo-Martinez’s door claiming to have hit his car, he believed it was an accident.

Instead, ICE agents were waiting for him outside on Nov. 14.

Toledo-Martinez’s lawyer, Olia Catala, said once he went out to check on the damage and exchange insurance information, undercover agents released a dog that had been hiding out of sight with a handler. Immigration officials detained Toledo-Martinez, 28, of Vancouver, Wash.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is calling for the immediate release of the Clark County father of three, who was mauled by the dog despite not resisting arrest, his attorneys say.

“He heard the officer say, ‘He's gonna run!’ or ‘He's running!’ and he didn't even realize what was happening,” Catala said in an interview Saturday. “And the next thing he knows is that the dog is on top of him, mauling him. He did not flee. He did not resist.”

Toledo-Martinez did not have weapons on him. He has no criminal convictions, though he had been arrested for investigation of a misdemeanor years ago in Oregon, Catala said. She suspects that's why immigration officials had him on their radar. Court records suggest Toledo-Martinez has never been charged with a crime in Washington.

A video shows Toledo-Martinez being placed in handcuffs by an undercover officer wearing a construction vest, while a dog handler threatens his wife, who filmed the interaction.

"You need to back up," the dog handler tells her. "Or he's going to get bit again."

Photos show Toledo-Martinez suffered deep cuts to his arm and back from the dog attack. He was denied medical care for several hours after his arrest, then given stitches and prescribed antibiotics, which were not immediately provided to him, Murray said.

"The photos documenting his injuries are horrific," the longtime senator said. "This should shock the conscience of every one of us. I do not want to live in an America where federal agents can sic attack dogs on peaceful residents with impunity and face no consequences."

As of Saturday, Toledo-Martinez was being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma.

Murray said Toledo-Martinez's detainment is an example of President Donald Trump's "depraved" deportations, saying he's going after all people, not just violent criminals.

“I am calling for Wilmer’s immediate release from NWIPC — he has no criminal convictions, he poses no threat to the community, and he urgently needs appropriate medical care since ICE is denying him the treatment he requires," Murray said in a news release.

Toledo-Martinez's lawyers told Murray their client is an undocumented immigrant and he was brought to the U.S. at age 15. He married a U.S. citizen and has three children, ages 2, 3 and 7.

A spokesperson for ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.

In a statement, Toledo-Martinez's wife said the family is in shock, and his children cry for him every night.

“We are terrified for his safety and urgently call for proper medical care," she said. No family should have to endure this, and we are asking the public and officials to ensure he is treated with dignity.”

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