Page 4
News
Street Roots • June 16-22, 2017
Sanctuary protection could be
expanded to all public bodies
BY EMILY GREEN
S T A F F W R IT E R
bill aimed at further protecting
undocumented immigrants in Oregon
had its first legislative hearing June 8.
While its introduction comes late in the
legislative session, its outlook is
promising with backing from the
governor and attorney general
and with strong support from
immigrants rights groups and the
agriculture sector.
Under House Bill 3464, all
public bodies in the state would
be prohibited from sharing a
person’s personal information
with federal agencies for the sole
purpose of immigration
enforcement.
This expansion of sanctuary
protections would include
courthouses, public health
facilities, public shelters, public
schools and other city- and
county-run agencies.
The bill follows widespread
reports of immigrants avoiding public places
and government facilities out of fear that
they will be detained and deported under
the broader immigration enforcement
A
Following reports
that fearful
immigrants are
avoiding public
spaces, a state bill
would extend
privacy measures
to public schools,
courthouses and
other local agencies
priorities of the Trump administration.
Multnomah County Circuit Court
Presiding Judge Nan Waller said that while
the Oregon Department of Justice is not
taking a position on the bill, it is imperative
that Oregon maintains the neutrality of its
courts.
“Since the executive order on deportation
was signed in late January, we’ve had
consistent reports from lawyers, community
organizations, victims advocates and public
inquiries to the court that some members of
our community are afraid to come to our
courthouses,” Waller told the House
Committee on Rules.
“It would indeed be hard to measure how
many people have not come to the court for
a restraining order, how many people have
not shown up to testify in a case, how many
people have let their matter go and been
defaulted,” she said.
Personal information the bill would
protect includes the time and location of
appointments the person has with the
public body, the person’s address and phone
number, workplace and work hours, school,
names of friends and family and other
information that is not a matter of public
record.
While public testimony from some
citizens opposed to the bill claimed
"IS w © k 14 W e e d be bard to measure
how many people h a w aol come to the
ooisrt lo r a re s tra la la f order, how many
people h a w aot shows ap to testily la
a case, how »stay people h a w let their
matter go and been defaulted«"
OAO WALLEC,
M U L T N O M A H C O U N T Y C IR C U I T C O U R T P R E S ID IN G J U D G E
otherwise, the bill indicates it would not
prevent public bodies from complying with
federal immigration authorities as federal
laws require.
Additionally, the bill would not prevent
immigration enforcement officials from
entering public buildings, such as
courthouses, or from obtaining publicly
available information about court
appearances.
Under Oregon’s sanctuary status, law
enforcement agencies have been prohibited
for 30 years from using their resources to
assist with the enforcement of federal
immigration laws.
On Feb. 2, Gov. Kate Brown issued an
executive order that added all state-run
agencies to the list of public bodies
See SANCTUARY, page 5