In a unified show of support against the Trump Administration, the Portland City Council unanimously approved two measures to oppose federal government’s immigration crackdown and the growing threat to deploy the military to Portland to assist it.
Photo by Alex Baumhardt, Oregon Capital Chronicle.
The Protect Portland Initiative resolution was sponsored by moderate and self-proclaimed members of the council that have frequently clashed on other issues. The moderates were President and District 2 Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney and District 4 Councilor Olivia Clark. The progressives were Council Vice President and District 3 Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane and District 1 Councilor Candace Avalos.
“The Protect Portland Initiative illustrates in clear language that our City has Portlanders’ backs,” Pirtle-Guiney said after the vote. “The Trump administration is attempting to use Portland as a testing ground for their fascist agenda, and we must respond. I’m thankful to my colleagues for standing against these threats and setting an example for other cities around the country. This is the first step in what will be an ongoing process to safeguard our community through tangible, unified actions.”
The council also unanimously approved an ordinance that codifies Portland’s Sanctuary City status to ensure no City resources are used in immigration enforcement except when required by law. It prohibits all City employees from assisting any federal agency with immigration enforcement, prohibits City resources to be used for such purpose, and calls for all 7,000 city employees to undergo regular training on the sanctuary code, including how to respond to inquiries or actions by immigration agents.
The ordinance was also introduced by moderate and progressive council members, including progressive District 2 Councilor Sameer Kanal.
“This was possible not only because of the solidarity of my colleagues on Council, but also the overwhelming support from many great organizations that make Portland what it is and hundreds of community members who turned out in support of our democratic systems, civil rights and immigrant communities,”Kanal said.”Tonight was the first step. We’ll continue to stand up for immigrant and Latino Portlanders and the First Amendment and ensure our laws reflect our values.”
The votes followed a five-hour evening hearing that featured over 60 people testifying in support of them. The votes also came hours after Oregon U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut federal judge extended her two temporary restraining orders that barred Trump from deploying Oregon National Guard members — or any National Guard members — to Portland for another two weeks.
“We community members deserve to know when and where ICE is operating in our community, and that the city’s more than 7,000 employees that work for the city have the tools they need to ensure that they are ready when ICE comes to our public places,” Angela Bonilla testified. “This city ordinance is needed because city code is law, and the code will make sure that this is permanent.”
“Tonight, people representing faith communities, local businesses, organized labor, community-based organizations, educators, public safety, veterans, and more spoke out against federal government overreach and abuse of power,” Jessica Maravilla, Policy Director of the ACLU of Oregon, said of the measures.
According to a City release after the vote, the resolution was “largely influenced by Chicago’s Protecting Chicago Initiative executive order and will help ensure the safety of Portlanders in the event that the Trump administration unlawfully deploys armed forces to overstep the City’s local authority.”
The release said the resolution: urges Mayor Keith Wilson to: demand that the Trump administration stand down from any deployment of the U.S. Armed Force, National Guard, or militarized immigration or crowd-control operations in Portland; challenge any unconstitutional actions in court; prohibit City bureaus from assisting with protest suppression or immigration enforcement; ensure that Portland Police comply with all federal, state, and local laws and policies to protect the rights of the public; and commit to transparently reporting any known or reported federal deployments or enforcement actions related to protest activity.
The resolution also asks Wilson to create the Protect Portland Initiative, which will: continue to coordinate across local, state, and federal partners in government and community; designate a Citywide Immigrant Affairs Liaison to lead and coordinate immigrant and refugee-related policies and initiatives; continue to develop a multilingual and centralized “Protect Portland” public information hub; use Freedom of Information Act requests and other legal and administrative mechanisms to uncover ICE activity and report back quarterly; and continue to convene immigrant rights, legal services, educational institutions, faith leaders and community partners to prepare rapid response systems.
Additional provisions in the resolution establish: guidelines for Portland Police Bureau officers’ conduct and coordination with the Trump administration; transparency and reporting requirements bureaus when federal enforcement activity is suspected or detected; a Contractor Preparedness Plan for City contractors; and a commitment to future code changes where needed.