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Portland leaders denounce the "silent surge" of immigration enforcement spreading fear among our neighbors. While federal immigration is beyond the City’s authority, our commitment to our immigrant communities is not. We will uphold our sanctuary values using every lawful tool.
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The fear in our immigrant communities is real.
Our communities are describing a "Silent Surge" of immigration enforcement in Oregon and across the nation. This intensification may not always make headlines but is a daily concern for Portland families and communities. Parents leave for work wondering if they will make it home. Children worry whether they'll see a loved one at the dinner table. The three tragic deaths across the nation in a span of a week due to intensifying Department of Homeland Security enforcement operations have only deepened that fear.
Immigration policy that doesn't center human rights, dignity, justice, and community is repression, not governance. Children carry burdens they should never have to bear. Families withdraw from schools, healthcare, jobs, and public life. Fear becomes a barrier to belonging.
To our immigrant neighbors: we see your fear, and we refuse to accept this as normal. Every lost life demands accountability and an independent investigation.
We join those calling for independent investigations into recent deaths during federal immigration enforcement operations, and we will continue using every lawful tool available to uphold our sanctuary values, protect our communities, and ensure that Portland remains a place where people can live without fear.
Last week, we also witnessed the very best of Portland as we supported a beloved member of Augustana Lutheran Church under threat of deportation. Advocates continue their work with compassion and resolve. Immigrants continue to show up for their jobs, their families, their schools, and their communities despite extraordinary uncertainty.
Your resilience deserves more than admiration. Commitment must be met with action. Portland remains a welcoming city. We are strengthening our sanctuary protocols, expanding partnerships, and hosting immigrant community forums to connect residents with trusted information, Know Your Rights education, and critical resources. Those efforts build on City Council actions to codify Portland's Sanctuary City protections into law and launch the Protect Portland Initiative, strengthening Citywide coordination, training, and community preparedness. Portland stands with our immigrant neighbors because we know safety, dignity, and humanity are not just words; they are the values that define our city.
Portland will continue to stand with our immigrant neighbors, and we will continue building a city where fear is overcome by community, support, and hope. We ask that each of you save the PIRC hotline 888-622-1510 in your phones and visit Oregon for All for Know Your Rights information and resources. We can and we must stay informed, stay ready, and stay together.
Sincerely,
- Mayor Keith Wilson
- City Administrator Raymond Lee
- Council President Jamie Dunphy
- Council Vice President Olivia Clark
- Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane
- Councilor Dan Ryan
- Councilor Angelita Morillo
- Councilor Steve Novick
- Councilor Candace Avalos
- Councilor Mitch Green
- Councilor Eric Zimmerman
- Councilor Sameer Kanal
- Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney
- Councilor Loretta Smith