Publication Date
8-21-2018
Document Type
Report
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/41211
Recommended Citation
City Club of Portland (Portland, Or.), "A City Club Report on Measure 105: Repeal of Oregon’s “Sanctuary” State Law" (2018). City Club of Portland. 589.
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/41211
Included in
Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons
Notes
Published in the City Club of Portland Bulletin, Vol. 101, No. 1, Aug. 21, 2018
Executive Summary
Current Oregon law (ORS 181A.820) prevents state and local law enforcement from using money, equipment, or personnel to enforce federal immigration law. This law has been in place since 1987. Though the law was adopted with preservation of state and local resources in mind, the impetus for the policy was grounded in racial profiling by law enforcement, which was highlighted by a highly publicized class action lawsuit in 1977.
Measure 105, if passed, would strike down ORS 181A.820 and remove these limitations on enforcement agencies. In essence, the debate for Measure 105 concerns whether state and local law enforcement can or should enforce federal immigration law. The discussion raises issues of rule of law, racial profiling, and public trust in law enforcement.
Your committee reviewed the literature, heard expert testimony, and concluded that preserving ORS 181A.820 and voting no on Measure 105 is in the best interest of Oregon’s community at large in order to (1) continue providing protection against racial profiling from law enforcement, (2) promote trust in law enforcement, especially among communities of color, and (3) maintain the rule of law and separation between criminal (state/local) and civil (federal) enforcement.