Portland codifies sanctuary status, orders city police to further separate from ICE

Portland s progressive-leaning City Council voted Wednesday to codify the city s sanctuary status and ordered local police to further distance themselves from U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE The council unanimously approved by a vote both the Protect Portland Initiative and a new sanctuary city ordinance after a lengthy inhabitants meeting where dozens of residents testified in help The Oregonian shared The two measures make Portland s sanctuary status legally binding and create a framework for how the city will track respond to and resist federal immigration raids or enforcement actions PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERS HOW TO BOOT ICE OUT OF CITY FACILITYPortland Mayor Keith Wilson welcomed the City Council vote calling it a clear and powerful message of unity against federal overreach He noted in a report that the vote gives the city a formal framework in responding to federal governing body actions that target our city We are a proud sanctuary city in a sanctuary state and we will continue to live our values even when federal directives make it complex Wilson noted The votes came as a federal judge in Oregon extended a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to Portland City Councilor Sameer Kanal who introduced the ordinance stated in a comment Wednesday that it was intended to make the city s sanctuary status legally enforceable Tonight was the first step Kanal declared We ll continue to stand up for immigrant and Latino Portlanders for the First Amendment and to ensure our laws reflect our values The ordinance prohibits city employees from assisting any federal agency with immigration enforcement or using city support for that purpose It also requires the creation of policies training programs and guidance to guide how staff handle interactions with immigration agents PORTLAND ANTI-ICE RIOT CRUSHED BY FEDERAL AGENTS Under Portland s sanctuary agenda city employees including police officers do not enforce federal immigration law Oregon has a statewide sanctuary law that likewise bars state and local law enforcement from participating in immigration enforcement without a warrant President Donald Trump has called Portland war-ravaged and claimed federal facilities including ICE sites are under siege by Antifa and other domestic terrorists Portland s ICE facility has become a major flashpoint for Trump's illegal immigration clampdown as left-wing protesters and agitators have descended on the facility several times The building's exterior has been covered in anti-ICE graffiti and violent clashes between agitators and federal agents have broken out several times since June including in one development in which a large group of anti-ICE protesters tried to block law enforcement vehicles from entering and exiting the facility Agents responded by deploying rubber bullets tear gas and flash bangs to disperse the crowd