House bill would increase protections for immigrants
A new bill in the Oregon House would prohibit schools, courts and other public bodies from disclosing personal information such as an address or workplace for the purposes of federal immigration enforcement, except when required by law.
The bill, requested by Gov. Kate Brown and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, and introduced Thursday by Reps. Teresa Alonso Leon, D-Woodburn, and Diego Hernandez, D-Portland, aims to increase privacy and reduce fear in immigrant communities...
Other information the bill would prohibit public bodies from sharing include the time and location of a person's public appointments, the identity of relatives, and telephone numbers. The bill would also prohibit these institutions from requesting information about a person's immigration or citizenship status. If they already have that information, they "may decline to disclose" the status to federal authorities unless required by law or court order, according to the bill.
Under the bill, public bodies in the state would also receive guidance from the attorney general on interacting with Immigration and Custom Enforcement authorities....
Oregon has been a sanctuary state for several decades, meaning the use of state and local resources to enforce federal immigration law, if a person hasn't committed a crime other than being in the country illegally, is prohibited under state law...
"So many people in the community are afraid," said Romeo Sosa, executive director at Voz Workers' Rights Education Project, a Portland-based organization that has advocated for immigration reform. "This would make it easier for immigrants to go about work or college or school, without being afraid."
Sanctuary status has been debated in Tigard, Eugene, and other Oregon cities in recent months, and continues to be a contentious issue.
On the House bill, James Buchal, chairman of the Multnomah County Republican Party, said, "I don't think there's such a great public interest in concealing people's immigration status." He added, "The more layers of operational restrictions that are placed on public agencies, the more their functions get caught up in bureaucracy."
