All Oregonians should be alarmed as Trump’s Unaccountable Secret Police Targets Hundreds of Oregonians

Dozens of Oregonians were arrested this week, including 31 people in Woodburn yesterday

Oregon leaders held a press conference on Friday, Oct. 31 to underscore the urgency of the situation and appeal to the public and elected officials to protect workers of color and immigrants.

PORTLAND, OR-- All Oregonians should be alarmed by the actions of the Trump Administration’s unaccountable, secret police force that has arrested dozens of immigrant Oregonians this week, including 31 on Oct. 30 in Woodburn, Ore.

“ICE and Border Patrol are recklessly and violently targeting Oregonians on their way to work in the fields, at the grocery store, and at school drop-offs,” said Reyna Lopez, President and Executive Director of PCUN, Oregon’s Farmworker Union. “We know they are targeting people based on the color of our skin or if we speak Spanish, because they don't even care when they have busted down the door of the wrong home or detained the wrong person.”

Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN) Executive Director Reyna Lopez.

Since October 15, at least 200 immigrant Oregonians have been arrested, many of these arrests have been without warrants, and many of these individuals have been prevented from accessing an attorney.

There is a growing list of examples of ICE’s disregard for the law. Two weeks ago, Hillsboro grandfather Victor Cruz, who has lived in the United States for more than 30 years, has legal status to be here, was wrongfully detained, and has yet to be released. A family in Gresham had its door broken down and was arrested, even though ICE was looking for someone who did not live at that address. A U.S. citizen from Milwaukie was detained and held for two days.

“These Oregonians are essential workers who wake up every day to feed and care for their families, and they are being taken from our communities,” said Graham Trainor, president of Oregon AFL-CIO. “Trump and his allies are scapegoating immigrant Oregonians, so we miss what is really happening here. They found billions of our taxpayer dollars to spend on this lawless secret police force. Yet, this weekend, millions of Americans will go hungry because Trump refuses to fund SNAP. They found hundreds of millions to build his personal ballroom, yet our government is shut down because he wants to deny Americans affordable healthcare.”

Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor

One in eight workers in Oregon is an immigrant, and one in 15 children in the state lives with a family member who is undocumented. Some of the workers grabbed by ICE yesterday were on their way to make holiday wreaths for Oregon families, part of the agricultural workforce that keeps the state’s economy running.

“What every Oregonian must consider at this moment is how we live in a society where masked secret police can operate without guardrails in our communities where even its citizens are at risk of being snatched off the street,” added Juan Carlos Gonzalez, Metro Councilor. “We need to wake up–this was never about public safety. This is all a cynical ploy to try to divide us along racial lines. To distract us, while they strip away our health care and starve our communities.”

Metro Councilor Juan Carlos González

Call for donations

Oregon Worker Relief is raising funds to support immigrant families impacted by ICE arrests. Oregonians can make donations to the Economic Stability Fund at Oregon Worker Relief at workerrelief.org

Family preparedness and immigration legal services

Oregonians who need immigration legal services can enroll in ECO for free by calling 1-888-274-7292 or visiting equitycorps.org.

Families should make a plan for what to do if a loved one is detained. Latino Network’s “Protect Your Family Guide” is online at https://www.latnet.org/immigration-resources/protect-your-family.

Oregon for All is a coalition of over 100 organizations, led by APANO, ACLU of Oregon, Innovation Law Lab, Oregon Food Bank, Oregon Just Transition Alliance, SEIU, PCUN, and Unite Oregon, advancing justice for immigrant and refugee communities.

For more information, visit Oregonforall.us