enforcement

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." Read more about House bill would increase protections for immigrants

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Public bodies in Oregon would be prohibited from disclosing a person's immigration status and details like addresses, except when required by law, under a bill filed Wednesday in the Legislature.

Teresa Alonso Leon, a Democrat from Woodburn, and Diego Hernandez, a Democrat from Portland filed the bill in the House as immigration enforcement increases under President Donald Trump...

....The bill said that, "except as required by state or federal law," a public body may not disclose for the purpose of immigration enforcement, a person's address, workplace or work schedule, school and contact information.

A public body would also be prohibited from inquiring about a person's citizenship or immigration status except when determining benefit eligibility or as required by state or federal law.

Oregon state law and federal laws, however, clash when it comes to immigration.

*Oregon created America's first sanctuary state in 1987 with a law that prevents law enforcement from detaining people who are in the United States illegally but have not broken other laws. In February, Brown signed an executive order that said all state agencies must follow the 1987 statute.

A Republican lawmaker who advocates enforcement of America's immigration laws said the state should comply with federal law.

"If you read federal law, it says not only is it illegal to be in the country without authorization and if you're caught you have to go back, but it is also illegal to harbor someone," Rep. Sal Esquivel, from the southwestern Oregon town of Medford, said in a phone interview....

Esquivel said Brown is "protecting people of illegal status in the state, which is against the law. This is a country of laws and if we don't adhere to the laws we won't have a country left."

Brown said Wednesday that  *"Oregon relies on a diverse workforce to support a growing economy, and we must ensure the civil rights of all Oregonians are protected and that the rule of law is respected."...

He said school administrators, county judges, and other public bodies are seeking guidance from the state on how to respond if ICE asks for information....

"This bill is a way to help make sure our communities have clear guidance so they are in compliance with state and federal law," Rosenblum said...

*Emphasis added Read more about Oregon Lawmakers Aim to Increase Protections of Immigrants

Breaking a trend, ICE office reports 129 arrests in March.

Deportation agents are stepping up arrests in the Rockwood neighborhood, according to a prominent nonprofit leader in the Latino community.

"What we call the Rockwood area — maybe the David Douglas (School District) — it's always been a no man's land," said community organizer Francisco Lopez. "Nobody pays attention to the area, except ICE."

Lopez heads Voz Hispana Cambio Comunitario, which runs citizenship classes and has organized several marches against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.

The organization has identified hot spots in Rockwood (Multnomah County) and the Cornelius and Forest Grove areas west of Hillsboro (Washington County.)

Lopez said more undocumented immigrants are being arrested in these areas than in previous years.

Lopez says the group tracks phone calls from immigrants seeking legal help, which usually arrive after a family member has been picked up.

"The East Multnomah County area has been targeted more aggressively," Lopez argued. "We have seen a lot of phone calls saying, 'They arrested my husband,' 'They arrested my son.'"

The latest numbers from ICE, while not showing a prolonged uptick, do confirm that the business of deportation is continuing as usual.

Deportation officers based in Portland arrested 129 people in March — a big jump — before returning to 68 arrests in April, which is more in line with normal arrest figures.

For comparison, ICE's Portland office made 92 arrests in February and 64 in January. In the three months prior to President Donald Trump's inauguration, October through December 2016, ICE's Portland office made between 71 and 79 arrests each month.

The agency has previously stated it doesn't compile arrest data by location, and it's unclear how many of those arrests occurred in Multnomah County. An ICE spokeswoman notes that those numbers are preliminary and should be considered unofficial estimates.

"Deportation officers carry out enforcement actions every day in locations around the country as part of the agency's mission to protect public safety, border security and the integrity of the nation's immigration system," spokeswoman Rose M. Richeson said in a brief statement.

The large bump in March arrests may be due to a high-profile ICE sweep in Oregon and Washington, which netted 84 undocumented immigrants over a three-day period beginning Saturday, March 25.

Of those arrested during the sweep, 60 had been previously arrested and 24 had no criminal background other than their immigration status, ICE said at the time.

"Man, I'm not surprised," said Lopez after being shown the latest tally. "March was a horrible month in the metro area."

For the newest numbers, ICE also did not specify whether any of those arrests occurred at or near courthouses in Multnomah County.

High-profile deportation arrests at justice centers topped newsfeeds earlier this year, at the same time many county and city officials were loudly re-affirming their commitment to sanctuary status.

Echoing previous reports, a spokesman for Multnomah County Sheriff's Office says undocumented immigrants need to feel safe speaking to uniformed police officers, who don't enforce immigration laws but frequently need the help of eyewitnesses to solve other crimes.

But it's also clear undocumented immigrants who are arrested for non-immigration crimes by local law enforcement are likely to end up on ICE's radar.

For instance, the Sheriff's Office sends all booking records to the state police, who then share that information with ICE.

"ICE may well have access to fingerprint information from the Oregon State Police, but that's not under the Sheriff's purview," explained Lt. Chad Gaidos, an MCSO spokesman. "That's not his decision to disseminate that. He has to follow Oregon state law."

David Olen Cross, a lawful immigration advocate, notes that ICE has access to jail records and other tracking numbers used by the FBI and state law enforcement.

"ICE isn't some separate government entity that doesn't have access to what everybody else does," he said.

Approximately 130,000 unauthorized immigrants live in Oregon, according to the nonprofit pollster Pew Research Center. Read more about Deportation arrests rise in Rockwood, Latinos say

The council heard from several residents last week who urged it to declare Tualatin a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants. The statement would be mostly a symbolic gesture.

Tualatin could become a self-declared "sanctuary city" as soon as Monday, May 22, if its City Council votes to adopt a resolution slated for discussion on the meeting agenda.

The City Council heard from two students and two staff members at Tualatin High School last Monday, May 8, who asked the council to adopt a resolution similar to those passed in Beaverton and Hillsboro earlier this year. Although receptive, with at least three councilors saying explicitly at the meeting that they are in favor of Tualatin becoming a sanctuary city, the council opted then to continue discussion at least to their next meeting.

An agenda for the council's work session, which begins at 5:30 p.m., includes an estimated 45-minute discussion of the resolution, along with other actions the city could take in a similar vein, such as "a series of listening sessions to address the need and concern of the broader community to feel safe and welcome."

The draft resolution itself is on the agenda for the council's business meeting, which starts at 7 p.m.

Draft resolution provides definition of 'sanctuary city'

It defines a "sanctuary city" as "as a city that is committed to providing a safe community for individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, place or origin, or immigration status, and works to ensure that all members of our community are sage and can call for public safety assistance without being questioned about federal immigration laws and without fear or reprisal based solely on legal status, in accordance with current Oregon law."

Sanctuary city status in Oregon is largely symbolic, as the state has had a law on the books since 1987 prohibiting state and local law enforcement from using their resources to pursue or detain people on the sole basis of their immigration status.

However, the group that appeared at the May 8 meeting said such a declaration by the Tualatin City Council would affirm Tualatin's place as a community where immigrants can feel welcome. Activists have made similar arguments in Tigard, where the city has responded to groups asking for a sanctuary city declaration with a statement of unity read by Mayor John L. Cook at one recent meeting.

The draft resolution specifies that Tualatin's sanctuary city declaration would be made "as a statement of unity for our community."

Councilor Paul Morrison suggested at the May 8 meeting that the council could consider changing the word "sanctuary," to something else, such as "unity." He and five other council members argued against voting on a resolution at that meeting, the agenda for which did not list sanctuary cities as a discussion item.

Councilor Jeff DeHaan disagreed, saying that he saw neither a need to change the term "sanctuary city" nor a compelling reason to wait until a future meeting to hold a vote. He made a motion that the council adopt the resolution proposed by the group from Tualatin High, but the motion did not receive a second.

Resolution would not prevent ICE from making arrests

Some 17.3 percent of Tualatin residents were identified as "Hispanic or Latino" by the 2010 Census. One of Tualatin's neighborhood schools, Bridgeport Elementary School in east Tualatin, is roughly even-split between students who speak English at home and students who speak Spanish at home, and it has a dual language immersion program to encourage bilingualism in its student population.

A school counselor at Tualatin High who spoke at the May 8 council meeting said that some students have stopped regularly attending classes, staying home due to fears that members of their family could be arrested for being in the United States without legal documentation.

President Donald Trump was elected last November on a campaign platform that included taking a tougher line on illegal immigration. Trump has said he wants to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Since his inauguration in January, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stepped up its activity, reportedly arresting dozens in the Portland area alone.

Mayor Lou Ogden cautioned at the May 8 meeting that even if Tualatin declares itself a sanctuary city, it cannot stop ICE from operating in the city. Furthermore, state law does allow law enforcement agencies to exchange information with federal authorities in order to verify arrested suspects' immigration status.

The Tualatin City Council work session and meeting at which the resolution is expected to be discussed will be held at the Juanita Pohl Center, 8513 S.W. Tualatin Road.

The May 8 meeting was held at the Tualatin Police Department, not the usual venue for council meetings, due to a budget advisory committee meeting there that immediately preceded it.

FILE - Tualatin City Councilor Jeff DeHaan moved unsuccessfully for the council to approve a resolution declaring Tualatin a sanctuary city at its May 8 meeting. Read more about 'Sanctuary city' resolution on the agenda for Tualatin City Council's next meeting

The radical leftist group that helped a gunman commit an act of terrorism against a conservative organization was officially reprimanded by the Obama Department of Justice (DOJ) for its hateful attacks, according to documents obtained by Judicial Watch. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an extremist nonprofit that lists conservative organizations that disagree with it on social issues on a catalogue of “hate groups.” The previously undisclosed DOJ rebuke is a vindication for groups targeted by the SPLC’s witch hunts and is especially impactful because the Obama administration was tight with the SPLC and even hired the controversial nonprofit to conduct diversity training for the government. Judicial Watch uncovered documents relating to the SPLC’s diversity training at the DOJ back in 2013.

Also in 2013, Judicial Watch reported that a Virginia man who planned a mass shooting based on the SPLC’s “hate map” of conservatives got a 25-year prison sentence. Prosecutors called it an act of terrorism and recommended a 45-year sentence. The terrorist, Floyd Lee Corkins, stormed into the headquarters of the Family Research Council (FRC) and carried out the politically-motivated shooting based on an SPLC target list. The FRC is a Christian organization that promotes the traditional family unit and the Judeo- Christian value system. Corkins pleaded guilty and admitted that he learned about the FRC from the SPLC, which describes itself as a civil rights group but labels conservatives who disagree with it on social issues as hateful.

In 2015, the SPLC issued a hit list of U.S. women against sharia law, the authoritarian doctrine that inspires Islamists and their jihadism. This included a starter kit for Islamists to attack American women who refuse to comply with Sharia law and a detailed list of female bloggers, activist and television personalities who reject Sharia law, which is rooted in the Quran. Among those targeted were colleagues and friends of Judicial Watch who fear for their safety simply for practicing their rights under the U.S. Constitution. That SPLC hate list is titled Women Against Islam/The Dirty Dozen and includes illustrations and detailed information on all the women, who are branded “the core of the anti-Muslim radical right.” The SPLC hate brochure further targets them by claiming that they’re “a dozen of the most hardline anti-Muslim women activists in America.”

Another favorite SPLC target is any group or individual that speaks openly against illegal immigration. The DOJ reprimand, issued last year but kept quiet at the agency’s request, involves the SPLC’s atrocious behavior during immigration court proceedings. Two groups that oppose illegal immigration, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), were the target of personal, baseless and below-the-belt attacks from SPLC attorneys during official immigration court proceedings. The SPLC filed a motion attacking and defaming the two respected nonprofits by describing them as “white supremacist”, “eugenicist”, “anti-Semitic”, and “anti-Catholic.” In its reprimand the DOJ says it is troubled by the conduct of SPLC lawyer Christopher Strawn and that his conduct “overstepped the bounds of zealous advocacy and was unprofessional.” Furthermore, SPLC made “uncivil comments that disparaged FAIR and its staff,” the rebuke states, adding that the language constitutes frivolous behavior and doesn’t aid in the administration of justice.

The Obama administration kept the reprimand confidential and asked FAIR and IRLI to keep it under wraps. In the meantime, SPLC continues to publicly trash the groups and escalate attacks against them by putting them on the official hate list. The executive director and general counsel of IRLI, Dale Wilcox, says his nonprofit and FAIR will keep fighting for immigration policies that put America first. “The SPLC’s latest tactic in its never-ending witch-hunt and the federal government’s resulting reprimand should send the following message to the mainstream media,” Wilcox said: “Stop using the SPLC as a legitimate hate-watch source in your news coverage. That a cabal of biased list-keepers can play such an important role in distorting the immigration debate in this country is testament to the utter failure of much of the mainstream media which frequently publishes their inflammatory commentary and refuses to question their baseless methods or financial motivations.” Read more about Obama DOJ Reprimanded SPLC for Hateful Attacks on Immigration Control Groups

PORTLAND, Ore. – On May 8, 2017, Alfredo Pena-Lopez, aka Gerionda, 43, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Marco A. Hernández to 210 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute or possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. Upon his release from prison, Pena-Lopez, who was in the United States without lawful authority, will be deported.

For at least five years, Pena-Lopez led a drug trafficking operation responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine from sources in California and Mexico to customers in the Salem area. He sold methamphetamine in pound quantities after arranging to bring 5 to 10 pounds into Oregon at a time. Court-authorized wiretaps and surveillance showed that Pena-Lopez stored his methamphetamine in a U-Haul truck parked at an automobile-repair business in Salem operated by one of Pena-Lopez’s seven co-defendants. Pena-Lopez also personally delivered methamphetamine to his customers, including once at a McDonald’s in the Salem area, and once at a Flying J Truck Stop on Interstate 5 near Salem.

At the time of his arrest on federal charges, Pena-Lopez was storing three pounds of methamphetamine, three assault rifles and body armor at the automobile-repair business in Salem, and had $35,000 in cash at his home.

This case was investigated by the Salem office of the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Salem Police Department and investigators from the Oregon Department of Justice. The case was prosecuted by Thomas H. Edmonds and Thomas S. Ratcliffe, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon.
  Read more about Salem Oregon Man Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for Operating a Drug Distribution Organization