Street Roots • June 16-22, 2017
News
Page 5
SANCTUARY, from page 4
forbidden to assist federal immigration
officials in locating or apprehending
undocumented immigrants.
This bill, filed May 31 on Brown and
Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum’s behalf,
extends this prohibition to include all public
bodies including those on local levels of
government.
Reps. Teresa Alonso Leon (D-Woodburn)
and Diego Hernandez (D-Portland) filed the
bill and testified in its favor before the
House Committee on Rules.
At the hearing, Alonso Leon said
residents of her district, documented and
undocumented alike, live in fear of
apprehension based on the color of their
skin and language skills.
“We know ICE commonly asks public
bodies for information that they are not
required to disclose,” she said, of U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This bill protects from federal overreach.”
Rosenblum told the committee her office
has been inundated with phone calls from
mayors, school districts and courthouses
asking what information the law requires
they share with federal agencies.
The bill would instruct her office to
publish “model policies” that would give
public bodies clear instruction to refer to
when interacting with immigration
enforcement.
These guidelines would bring consistency
to the way public bodies in Oregon protect
privacy and provide public employees with a
recommended course of action that
complies with federal and state laws.
According to the Attorney General’s
Office, current law only allows it to provide
legal advice to state officers, agencies and
legislators. This bill would extend that
authority to provide guidance to local
government and others as well.
This bill, Rosenblum said, “makes- clear
where federal law ends and privacy begins.”
Carmen Rubio, executive director of
Latino Network, testified that many
immigrants fear sharing personal
information with her advocacy organization.
She said with the passage of this bill, she
could tell her members that Oregon has
taken steps to protect their privacy.
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P H O T O B Y A N O T H E R B E L .IE V E R A /V IK IM E D IA C O M M O N S
1 he M ultnom ah County Courthouse saw an increase m Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity shortly after President Donald Trum p’s
inauguration However, the county s sanctuary status prohibits agencies from using county resources to enforce federal immigration laws. A state
bill would expand sanctuary protection to all courthouses, prohibiting disclosure o f personal information unless required by state or federal law.
The bill, she said, is “a vital step toward
building trust with the community.”
Oregon Winegrowers Association and
Oregon Association of Nurseries testified
that labor shortages in their industries are
only exacerbated by increasing fears among
immigrant communities. They, along with
Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers, support the
bill, saying they hope it will also give their
members clarification on how to legally
comply with ICE when officials show up at
their farms and orchards.
The bill received opposition from the
Washington County Republican Party,
Oregonians for Immigration Reform and a
handful of mostly retired private citizens.
Those testifying against the bill cited
unfounded fears that its passage would lead
to increases in drug trafficking, terrorism
and other crimes because it would make the
state more attractive to undocumented
immigrants.
Studies by the CATO Institute and the
National Bureau of Economic Research have
concluded immigrants are less likely to
commit crimes than people born in the
United States.
Cynthia Kendoll, president of Oregonians
for Immigration Reform, testified she was
concerned about the illegal activities of
undocumented immigrants, and she
included in her examples that they drive
illegally.
She did not mention, however, that her
organization led the charge to defeat
Measure 88, which would have given
undocumented immigrants the ability to
obtain driver’s cards.
According to its website, her organization
is collecting sponsor signatures for an
initiative called “Stop Oregon Sanctuaries”
with the intent of getting a measure to
repeal Oregon’s sanctuary law onto the
November 2018 ballot.
emily@streetroots. org
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