Oregon’s Sanctuary Law makes all of our communities safer
Trump’s deportation campaign was never about public safety
The Trump Administration continues to put pressure on states and cities to disregard or change their Sanctuary Laws, including directly calling on individual law enforcement professionals to disregard local laws and threatening to withhold congressionally approved resources.
This week, Oregon sued the Trump administration for threatening to withhold funding that supports survivors of sexual assault and other crimes unless it agrees to assist with federal immigration enforcement efforts.
Oregon’s Sanctuary Law was passed nearly 40 years ago with strong support from both Republicans and Democrats to protect Oregonians from being targeted based solely on the color of their skin, their accent, or their perceived immigration status.
Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been directed to use racial profiling to target people across the country unfairly, including U.S. citizens. We’ve seen the ugly results of this policy–the majority of people being detained are parents, children, family members, coworkers, and neighbors with no criminal records.
Oregonians understand that racially profiling is wrong and makes all of us less safe. We will not tolerate this callous and mean-spirited effort to divide us along racial lines and unfairly target the Latino community and other people of color.
For decades, Oregon’s law enforcement professionals have honored and championed our Sanctuary Law because they understand that trust is the foundation of good policing, because when police play the role of federal immigration agents, many Immigrants will be too afraid to call them. This law gives clear guidance to local law enforcement to focus on our local communities.
No matter what someone looks like, sounds like, or what their immigration status may be, they should feel safe to report a crime, provide information to law enforcement, and seek help if they’ve been victimized. The law keeps us all safer.
All Oregonians, including immigrant Oregonians, care about the safety of our families and communities. We can hold people accountable for crimes and provide critical civil rights protections.
Oregon for All is a coalition of 90+ organizations led by APANO, the ACLU of Oregon, Innovation Law Lab, Oregon Food Bank, Oregon Just Transition Alliance, SEIU, PIRC, PCUN, and Unite Oregon. The Coalition advances immigrant justice to build a more welcoming and prosperous state.
