Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 26, 2021)
A3 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 2021 Bill aims to strengthen immigrant sanctuary law By DIRK VANDERHART Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon law enforcement offi cers and public agen- cies would be more explic- itly prohibited from assisting federal immigration authori- ties, and could be subject to lawsuits if they do help facil- itate deportations, under a bill that cleared the Legisla- ture on Wednesday. House Bill 3265 strength- ens and expands the state’s sanctuary law, the fi rst-such statewide policy in the nation when it passed in 1987. The bill, dubbed the Sanctu- ary Promise Act, passed the House last week on a 36-21 party-line vote. It passed the Senate on a 16-13 vote that saw only Democrats voting in favor. If signed by Gov. Kate Brown, advocates say HB 3265 will result in a more extensive sanctuary than Oregon immigrants often had since lawmakers fi rst passed a statewide policy in 1987. “The law passed 34 years ago said that local law enforcement cannot enforce federal immigration law, leave that to federal immi- gration authorities,” said Leland Baxter-Neal, direc- tor of advocacy at the Latino Network, one of the groups pushing the bill. “In the last three decades the way that federal immigration author- ities enforce immigration law has changed and there is vagueness and a lack of clarity in that statute. That has resulted in jurisdic- tions across the state inter- preting the law diff erently and, in many cases, working very closely with ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents.” The examples, Bax- ter-Neal and others say, are legion. They include instances of jail deputies alerting ICE agents when undocumented people are in a local jail or about to be released, as has occurred in Multnomah County and else- where. But according to Bax- ter-Neal, examples of local law enforcement working to assist immigration agents are far more extensive than that. “Law enforcement agen- cies and offi cials through- out the state are provid- ing information to ICE that helps them target, detain and deport Oregonians,” he said. HB 3265 contains a number of new provisions strengthening and expanding the law passed in 1987. The bill would: • Prohibit public agen- cies from collecting infor- mation about a person’s citizenship status; giving information to federal immi- gration authorities for the purpose of enforcement; or denying services to people involved in the justice sys- tem because of their immi- gration status. • Require agencies to deny requests for infor- mation from immigra- tion enforcement offi cials, and to forward information about any such requests to the state’s Criminal Justice Commission for inclusion in Nicole Bales/The Astorian Immigrant rights advocates have protested federal immigration arrests at county courthouses. a state database. The require- ment does not apply to sub- poenas approved by a judge, but would block administra- tive subpoenas that ICE has used to demand information from Oregon law enforce- ment offi cials in the past. • Specifi cally allow individuals to sue in order to block an agency from shar- ing information with federal immigration authorities or violating other provisions of the bill. That right does not currently exist, leaving some to conclude the state law is toothless. • Require the Depart- ment of Justice to set up a hotline and website to allow people to report violations of the state’s sanctuary laws. • Block immigration authorities from detaining a person who is attending a court proceeding or is going to or leaving a courthouse. Both New York and Wash- ington state have passed sim- ilar policies. • Prohibit Oregon law enforcement agencies from jailing people on behalf of federal immigration authori- ties, and block private immi- gration detention facilities in the state. The state has no such facilities or agreements, ever since a regional jail in The Dalles ended a contract with federal offi cials last year. “House Bill 3265 is a bill about one thing: community safety,” state Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon, a Woodburn Democrat, said on the House ‘LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND OFFICIALS THROUGHOUT THE STATE ARE PROVIDING INFORMATION TO ICE THAT HELPS THEM TARGET, DETAIN AND DEPORT OREGONIANS.’ Leland Baxter-Neal | director of advocacy at the Latino Network fl oor last week. “Oregon is safest when all Oregonians can engage with public enti- ties, local government, local law enforcement and the local court system without fearing that their accent or skin color will result in a dif- ferent treatment.” Oregon’s sanctuary law was initially passed with bipartisan support, but in recent years its provisions have been controversial. In 2018, the group Oregonians For Immigration Reform pushed Measure 105 to do away with the law. It was roundly rejected by voters. Oregon lawmakers have also expanded the state’s sanctuary policies before. In 2017, the Legislature passed House Bill 3464, which blocks state agencies from sharing information with immigration offi cials. Even so, advocates and immigrants testifi ed over- whelmingly that the new bill was necessary. After an ICE enforce- ment action in Bend last year, Veronica Vega wrote in testi- mony she “heard many com- munity members frustrated that Bend as a sanctuary city meant nothing. Our commu- nity is not any more safe or welcoming to immigrants. I believe this bill is a step in the right direction.” Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel sub- mitted testimony to lawmak- ers that bolstering the sanctu- ary law would help improve public safety. “Anyone who is a wit- ness to or victim of a crime should feel empowered to come forward and report what they know,” Hum- mel wrote. “This happens in Deschutes County because we’ve devoted time and energy to establishing a trust- ing relationship with the pub- lic … When law enforcement agencies share information and cooperate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to tar- get and arrest Oregonians, it puts that hard-earned trust at risk.” Opposition to the bill was harder to come by. At HB 3265′s sole public hearing in March, everyone who signed up to testify was either in support of the bill or neutral, and the overwhelming writ- ten testimony for the concept was positive. One woman contended the bill “places Oregon cit- izens and police offi cers in danger.” Potential concerns were also raised by the Oregon Department of Corrections, which said that roughly $2.5 million it receives in federal grant money every other year could be jeopardized. A similar imbalance occurred on the House and Senate fl oors, where Demo- crats spoke forcefully for HB 3265, but opposing Republi- cans remained largely mum. “Do you know what it’s like to have someone ripped away from your family because of their immigra- tion status?” said state Rep. Andrea Valderrama, a Port- land Democrat who signed on as a chief sponsor to the bill after being appointed to fi ll a vacant House seat in March. “It feels like the wind gets knocked out of you, like the democracy you were told exists suddenly vanishes, and like the promise of refuge was empty.” State Sen. Lew Frederick, a Portland Democrat, said that when wildfi res ravaged southern Oregon last year, undocumented residents in some communities refused to obey orders to evacuate. “They thought it was a trick by ICE to get them out of their house,” Freder- ick said. “This is the kind of distrust that could be fatal in many situations.” Just one Republican in either chamber spoke against the bill: state Sen. Bill Hansell, an Athena Republi- can, who suggested Wednes- day he disagrees with the premise of the sanctuary law to begin with. “It just bothers me greatly that we take a federal enforce- ment agency and we prohibit our local law enforcement from working with them,” Hansell said. If HB 3265 is signed by the governor, it will take eff ect immediately. DEL’S O.K. TIRE BOAT RACES CULLABY LAKE June 26 th and 27 th , 2021 • 10am - 6pm Presented by: Columbia Outboard Racing Association Sanctioned by: American Power Boat Association Questions?: Contact cora.raceboats@gmail.com Del Thompson, former owner of OK Rubber Welders. Klyde Thompson, current owner Mike Barnett, manager LAKE WILL BE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC The Astoria Police Department is seeking input from members of our community to assist us in focusing our efforts on certain crime problems and to understand what types of incidents concern our community the most. We are also seeking information on how we can improve our community interaction. Please take a few minutes to take the survey and give us your input. The survey will end on July 5th. www.surveymonkey.com/r/XZVYBZV YOUR #1 SOURCE FOR TIRES CUSTOM WHEELS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES Over 72 years of the Thompson family putting you first! (503) 325-2861 35359 Business 101, Astoria MON - FRI 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM SAT 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM pointstire.com/astoria