It’s the second time in two weeks that Kotek has reversed course on an extradition decision in the wake of public pressure

By Shaanth Nanguneri, Oregon Capital Chronicle

Gov. Tina Kotek on Friday said she’s ordered the extradition of a suspected member of a multi-state burglary ring who allegedly targeted Asian households throughout the Eugene area and fled to Texas, averting some of the blowback she faced for rejecting the extradition earlier this week. 

The reversal marks the second time in the past two weeks that Kotek has changed course in an extradition decision in the wake of public pressure. The governor made a more explicit reversal in May regarding the transfer of a woman who fled to Ohio after being accused of embezzling from Eugene Weekly, a move the locally-beloved newspaper has called “an about-face.” 

This time, the decision to extradite came “after further communication with the Lane County DA’s office and review of the information provided,” Roxy Mayer, a Kotek press secretary, said in an email. The governor is “still not moving forward” with the extradition of another member of the burglary ring who fled Oregon and who is being held in Texas with an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement hold. 

“We were notified two days ago that the Governor’s Office has changed their position on funding in [a] case where our Asian residents were targeted,” Lane County District Attorney Christopher Parosa said in a statement. “I am grateful for that. It will go a long way to allowing us to make that community feel welcomed and protected in Lane County.”

Parosa told The Register-Guard on Tuesday that Kotek’s denial was out of the ordinary and “seems to be an attempt by the governor’s office to put that financial obligation on the local communities, who, of course, have never had that responsibility in the past.” 

He declined to elaborate on the state’s extradition efforts to the Capital Chronicle but shared a statement in an email.

“It is my hope that further dialogue regarding extradition funding requests will occur between the Governor’s Office and the Lane County District Attorney in the near future,” he said. 

Jennifer Jonak, a board member at the Eugene-based Asian American Council of Oregon, said in a statement that the group is “grateful that the Governor’s office has heard and taken into account the impact on our Asian American community.” Jonak said the council is still reviewing further details regarding the suspect still on ICE hold in Texas. 

“We deeply appreciate the hard work of local law enforcement agencies and the Lane County DA’s office who have worked so hard to obtain justice for the victims of these race-targeted offenses,” she said.

The Oregon governor has the discretion to make decisions on extraditions in light of the sometimes high costs, a factor Kotek’s office has highlighted when explaining its recent rejections of extradition requests. Costs of retrieving alleged criminals from other states have significantly increased since 2020, according to data shared by Kotek’s office. The average cost of extraditions from “non-shuttle states” — those are states that don’t participate in cost-sharing and inter-state coordination with fugitive return — has risen about 30% since the 2019-2021 biennium. 

Police in Eugene described the burglaries as part of a “multi-state crime ring targeting wealthy individuals of Asian descent, to include business owners, doctors, and others,” according to one February news release, including states such as Washington and Idaho. The suspects surveilled and targeted homeowners who they believed were likely to store valuables at home, police say.

Authorities estimated similar crimes continued throughout summer and fall of 2024. While some suspects have been arrested and charged, many warrants remain standing nationwide as several alleged perpetrators are believed to have fled the country. Officials have not named or released a country of origin for the suspect.

Shaanth Kodialam Nanguneri is a reporter based in Salem, Oregon, covering Gov. Tina Kotek and the Oregon Legislature for the Oregon Capital Chronicle.