by Ben Botkin, Oregon Capital Chronicle
December 18, 2024
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum rolled out a toolkit on Wednesday so immigrants in Oregon can protect themselves and know their rights under the first-in-the-nation state sanctuary law that has been in place since 1987.
Rosenblum’s release of the toolkit in English and Spanish is intended to inform immigrants as Oregon braces for likely increased federal immigration activity after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. Trump has pledged mass deportations of undocumented residents but it’s unclear how widespread it will be beyond people with criminal records. Oregon has an estimated 108,000 undocumented residents, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.
“I recommend having conversations with family members in the next several weeks to know your rights, understand what protections Oregon’s sanctuary laws provide and what they do not provide, and make a plan for what to do if immigration officials come to your home or place of business,” Rosenblum said in a statement.
Oregon sanctuary laws restrict state and local government, including police agencies, from helping enforce federal immigration laws without a signed court order. Federal immigration agencies can still operate in Oregon. But state laws restrict state and local funding, facilities, equipment and personnel from assisting them without a court order. The Sanctuary Promise Community Toolkit covers details in the law and people’s rights. For example, the instructions tell immigrants that if federal immigration officials are outside their doors, they have the right to not open the door and can ask to see a warrant signed by a judge.
The toolkit, available online, includes brochures, posters and public service announcements in English, Spanish and five other indigenous languages: Urdu, Arabic, Haitian Creole, Russian and Mandarin.
Under the first Trump administration, federal officials cracked down on immigrants without legal residency, including separating families. It tried to withhold federal funding from sanctuary states unless state officials cooperated in the crackdown, but a U.S. judge in Oregon declared that illegal.
In 2021, the year that Trump left office, the Legislature approved the Sanctuary Promise Act, which strengthens the state’s sanctuary laws and defines what law enforcement activity is prohibited by local and state Oregon agencies. The law also established a new, first-in-the-nation statewide hotline to report possible sanctuary law violations. Those alleged violations reported 34 possible cases from June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024. Of those, 29 were unfounded and five are under investigation.
Rosenblum said she hopes immigrants use the materials and educate others.
“Every person has the right to live, work, play and learn safely in Oregon, period,” Rosenblum said.
She’s leaving office in January and former House Speaker Dan Rayfield is taking her place and has told the Capital Chronicle he expects to also have to file lawsuits against the Trump administration, as Rosenblum did in areas like travel bans and environmental issues.
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