Immigrant groups protest Trump policies
Capital Bureau
SALEM — In an expression of solidarity on a day honoring the world’s workers, supporters of Oregon’s immigrants rallied and marched Monday at the state Capitol.
The rally reflected the current attitude of resistance from the left in the wake of the election of President Donald J. Trump, who pledged during his campaign to “build a wall” along the U.S.-Mexico border, and whose administration has reportedly stepped up federal immigration enforcement efforts.
For decades, Oregon has had a sanctuary law that prevents state and local officials from enforcing federal immigration laws if a person’s only crime is being in the country illegally.
Advocates say that immigrant communities in Oregon are seeing heightened enforcement of immigration laws, including arrests of people who are recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, an Obama-era policy that allowed some undocumented immigrants who came here as children to receive temporary relief from deportation and a two-year work permit.
State Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon, D-Woodburn, also cited a ballot measure proposal from three state lawmakers filed April 25 to repeal the state’s decades-old sanctuary law by amending the state constitution.
That proposal, Initiative Petition 22, was filed by three Republican state Reps. Greg Barreto, of Cove; Mike Nearman, of Independence; and Sal Esquivel, of Medford.
Alonso Leon, who argues that the president’s enforcement actions threatens public safety by undermining relationships between police and immigrant communities, said the petition would “divide our state and amplify Donald Trump’s harmful and hateful policies.”
The petition will need 88,184 signatures to qualify for the ballot, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Andrea Williams, executive director of Causa Oregon, said immigrants need to learn their rights and “fight back” when those rights are violated.
“We need to continue to advocate for better protections here in our own state,” Williams said.
Suad Elmi, a mother of five who emigrated from Somalia, described her harrowing journey by boat and on foot from her war-torn home to a refugee camp in Kenya.
“We should be united,” Elmi said. “Our president should be a uniter, not a divider. We should use that money he’s trying to build a wall and build houses, you know?”
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, who has been a prominent voice advocating for progressive social issues since Trump’s election, reaffirmed her support for immigrants in a brief speech at the event.
In February, the governor signed an executive order barring the use of state resources to enforce federal immigration policy; she’s also advocated for expanding Medicaid to children who are also undocumented immigrants, an initiative called Cover All Kids.
“I know that this is an uncertain and scary time for Oregon’s immigrant and refugee families,” Brown said. “I want you to know that my support for you is unwavering.”