8
community news
august17
2017
Taxpayer Lawsuit Challenges
Use of Oregon Jail for Immigration Detention
Oregon law expressly forbids
public resources to be used f
or federal immigration detention
A lawsuit filed by several Oregon taxpayers is
challenging the use of a publicly funded jail to detain
non-citizens on behalf of the federal government. For
the past 30 years, Oregon law has prohibited local
law enforcement to engage in federal immigration
enforcement. The Northern Oregon Regional
Correction facility (NORCOR) is a public jail located
in The Dalles and funded by Hood River, Wasco,
Sherman and Gilliam Counties. Since 2014, in addition
to housing local inmates, NORCOR has been housing
people the federal government wants detained for
immigration purposes—even though Oregon law
expressly prohibits using state or local public funds for
federal immigration enforcement.
“NORCOR officials have been violating
Oregon law by using taxpayer money to detain
people for federal immigration purposes,” said Jessica
Campbell, Co-Director of the Rural Organizing Project,
a statewide network of over 60 groups organizing
for human dignity across Oregon. “This is not only
a violation of the law, it’s a violation of the trust
Oregonians have in their locally elected officials and
their public institutions.” Campbell and others, none
of whom are directly involved in the lawsuit, have
been advocating for NORCOR to end its program for
immigration detention.
NORCOR, located in The Dalles, Oregon, is a
public entity constructed in 1999 specifically to house
inmates from the four counties that finance it. The
construction of the NORCOR facility was financed by
taxpayers under a General Obligation bond and more
than half of the facility’s annual operating expenses
are paid for by taxpayers, including roughly $2 million
provided by Wasco County taxpayers.
In 2014 NORCOR officials contracted with
the federal government to house people the federal
government wants detained due to immigration issues,
even though Oregon law has prohibited the use of state
or local funds on federal immigration enforcement for
three decades. Oregon Governor Kate Brown recently
re-affirmed this principle when she declared Oregon a
sanctuary state. By using Oregon resources for federal
immigration in violation of Oregon law, the case
contends that NORCOR is misusing taxpayer money.
“We applaud the courage of those who are
challenging NORCOR’s use of local public funds
and hope that NORCOR stops detaining people for
federal immigration purposes,” said Andrea Williams,
the Executive Director of Causa Oregon, a statewide
immigrant rights organization. “We must uphold the
integrity of Oregon’s 30 year-old law that limits our
local resources from being used to enforce questionable
federal immigration policies,” explained Williams,
who is not involved in the lawsuit.
Lawyers for NORCOR will have an
opportunity to respond to the lawsuit before the judge
makes a decision.
Stephen W. Manning, a lawyer with Immigrant
Law Group PC, and a member of the Innovation Law
Lab, represents several of the taxpayer plaintiffs.
Columbia County Jail Operating
Citizens Advisory Committee Needs Three Members
Representatives from Vernonia,
Rainier, Warren, Deer Island,
St. Helens, areas preferred
The Columbia County Jail Oper-
ating Citizens Advisory Committee (JO-
CAC) is looking for three new members
to serve three-year terms. The commit-
tee advises the Columbia County Board
of Commissioners and the County Sher-
iff on proper spending of funds raised by
levies for operating the Columbia Coun-
ty Jail. They also report periodically to
the board and explain to county residents
how funds are being distributed.
JOCAC was formed in 2014 to
ensure accountability and transparency
to taxpayers following the passage in
2013 of a $7 million bond to operate and
maintain the 255-bed facility. The levy
was renewed by voters in 2016, and is
expected to raise $8 million through
2021 based on 57.9 cents per $1,000 in
assessed value.
Jail operating levies are needed
because the county’s general fund does
not cover the revenue required to run the
facility. Jail dollars come from a combi-
nation of some general fund monies, ad-
ditional funds from levies, and the U.S.
Marshal’s Service (USMS).
The Columbia County Jail is
a cost-efficient operation that uses the
concept of directing inmate movements
by a central control room, thereby reduc-
ing the number of staff needed to run the
facility. It was also built to handle non-
county inmate populations, allowing the
Sheriff to recover some operational costs
by renting beds to outside agencies such
as the U.S. Marshal’s Service. In 2016,
USMS inmates added about $200,000
to operating costs while generating $1.9
million, thus adding considerably to
available revenue and driving down tax-
payer costs.
In 2015, JOCAC prepared a re-
port that noted the Columbia County Jail
had been operated well and funds were
used properly and efficiently. The re-
port also noted that the rate of failures
to appear for court fell, early release
of inmates was eliminated and the jail
reached a goal of 100 beds available for
local inmates.
JOCAC meets monthly at the
Sheriff’s Office at 901 Port Avenue in St.
Helens. The committee receives brief-
ings on the jail budget, operations, per-
sonnel hires, and equipment upgrades
and replacements. Members of the com-
mittee review and make recommenda-
tions on these expenditures and verify
that all funds raised by the levy are spent
on jail operations.
“The 2014 report shows not
only that jail funds are being used in the
way they were intended, but that true
citizen input is important and necessary
for county operations,” said Commis-
sion Chair Henry Heimuller. “I will say
that the committee has been remarkably
successful, and I know the Sheriff and
community members feel the same.”
The committee is composed
of nine volunteer members appointed
by the County Board of Commission-
ers. Those interested in serving should
have an understanding of budgeting pro-
cedures and have an interest in public
safety. The deadline to submit applica-
tions is on-going. A Volunteer Applica-
tion Form can be found online, at the
County Courthouse, 230 Strand St. in St.
Helens, or by contacting Jan Greenhalgh
at (503) 397-432 or jan.greenhalgh@
co.columbia.or.us.