Portland Mayor Keith Wilson joined mayors of seven other cities in a joint statement calling for significant reforms to the Department of Homeland Security as Congress approaches the Feb. 13 funding deadline.
The statement outlines concerns about federal law enforcement tactics in their cities and urges congressional leaders to adopt a 10 point accountability framework before approving new DHS funding.
The other mayors signing the joint statement represent Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and New Orleans. Their Feb. 13 statement reads as follows:
“As Mayors of America’s largest cities and economic engines, we bear direct responsibility for public safety in the most diverse communities in the nation. We know what keeps communities safe. Public safety depends on trust between residents and law enforcement.
“When federal agents operate in our streets without identification, without warrants, and without accountability, that trust is shattered. The result is not safety — it is disorder, fear, and the erosion of local authority to govern and protect its residents.
“We stand united with Democratic Leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer in demanding immediate reform and an end to ICE’s unchecked and reckless operation in American cities. All of us agree that for so long as the agency exists, new funding for the Department of Homeland Security must be conditioned on the comprehensive 10-point framework released last week,” the statement read.
“As Congress approaches the February 13th funding deadline, we issue a somber warning: what happened and is continuing to happen in Minneapolis and in our cities is part of a terrifying and intentional pattern of violent tactics used by federal law enforcement targeting residents – regardless of immigration status – instilling fear in communities, undermining our constitutional protections, and corroding the democratic values we are sworn to uphold. These things are not just happening in Minneapolis. In addition:
- In Portland, we have witnessed excessive and indiscriminate use of force by federal agents against peaceful protesters, including children and seniors, exercising their constitutionally-protected First Amendment rights. We have also seen members of our community haphazardly detained without identification or explanation from their captors, leaving their families wondering about where their loved ones have been taken.
The federal government must be held to the same standard we demand of our local police departments. The 10-point accountability framework is not “radical” or impractical. It is not optional. It represents the bare minimum standard for lawful, professional conduct in a constitutional democracy. The demands set forth in the 10-point accountability framework include:
- An immediate end to the use of face masks that allow agents to hide their identities.
- An immediate stop to the violent tactics used by Federal Law Enforcement, including a revised use of force standard placed into law that expands training and requires certification.
- Mandatory body-worn cameras for all federal enforcement actions.
- Judicial warrants before any entry onto private property and public property that is not open to general public access.
- Absolute protection of sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and places of worship.
- Racial profiling prohibitions that would stop DHS officers from stopping, questioning, or searching individuals based on location, occupation, language or accent, race, or ethnicity.
- Preserve the authority of state and local jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute potential crimes, including excessive force. Require preservation and sharing of evidence. Mandate state or local consent for large-scale operations beyond targeted immigration enforcement.
“We call on Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune to accept these necessary guardrails before the February 13th funding deadline. We urge Congress to hold the line: no blank checks without reform. We cannot support a budget that funds the terrorizing of our communities.”
Signed,
Brandon Scott, Mayor of Baltimore
Michelle Wu, Mayor of Boston
Brandon Johnson, Mayor of Chicago
Mike Johnston, Mayor of Denver
Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles
Jacob Frey, Mayor of Minneapolis
Helena Moreno, Mayor of New Orleans
Keith Wilson, Mayor of Portland