Mayor Wilson reaffirms Portland's 'sanctuary city' status as U.S. immigrants question future
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As undocumented families continue to question their future in the U.S. due to new leadership, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson is affirming the city’s protections for local immigrants.
In a letter sent on Tuesday, Wilson directed Portland City Council to help him inform undocumented residents of the resources available in Oregon amid President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration executive orders.
The once-again president declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and called for the cancellation of birthright citizenship, following his inauguration on Monday. Trump has threatened mass deportation since his re-election in November.
According to Wilson, the act would affect at least 108,000 Oregonians.
“News of mass deportation raids can be frightening, but we are a community that supports each other,” Wilson wrote. “Portland is rich in diversity, a value that includes immigrants and refugees who have only just arrived. We stand together in solidarity with our immigrant families. Their lives, families, and businesses are part of the fabric of our community and we must support them during these challenging times.”
But the push for stricter immigration policies isn’t expected to be enforced on a local level, due to Oregon’s status as a sanctuary location. It became the nation’s first sanctuary state in 1987, when leaders established that local leaders and law enforcement are prohibited from assisting the U.S. government with the implementation of federal immigration laws unless they have a judicial warrant.
This policy was maintained with the 2021 passage of the Sanctuary Promise Act. The Oregon Department of Justice also released a new Sanctuary Promise Community Toolkit late last year. Weeks later, the board of Portland Public Schools reaffirmed a previous resolution stating that faculty are not required to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Oregon Republican Party activist Kevin Hoar previously told KOIN 6 he expects leaders to “find a common ground” on immigration policy before restrictions are enforced locally.