City Council unanimously adopted a resolution led by Portland City Councilor Candace Avalos (District 1), Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney (District 2), Council Vice President Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3), and Councilor Olivia Clark (District 4) to address escalating Trump administration threats to deploy the National Guard and federal agents to Portland. The Protect Portland Initiative is largely influenced by Chicago's Protecting Chicago Initiative executive order and will help ensure the safety of Portlanders in the event that the Trump administration unlawfully deploys armed forces to overstep the City's local authority.
"Our city is not staying silent or staying on the sidelines when our immigrant, asylee, and refugee communities are under attack by the Trump administration," Councilor Avalos said. "The Protect Portland Initiative outlines the tools our city has to resist any deployment of armed forces or militarized immigration enforcement, helps local police officers stay focused on Portland's public safety needs, and provides City staff, contractors, and Portlanders with knowledge and resources if they interact with a federal agent. I am grateful that as a Council, we are standing united against these unprecedented threats to the safety and rights of Portlanders."
"The Protect Portland Initiative illustrates in clear language that our City has Portlanders' backs," Council President Pirtle-Guiney said. "The Trump administration is attempting to use Portland as a testing ground for their fascist agenda, and we must respond. I'm thankful to my colleagues for standing against these threats and setting an example for other cities around the country. This is the first step in what will be an ongoing process to safeguard our community through tangible, unified actions."
"Now is the moment for Portlanders to be brave, to stand in our values, and to speak up," Council Vice President Koyama Lane said. "In WWII, some people thought being silent and complying would keep them safe. I truly wish that more elected leaders and officials had stood up and spoken up when my own grandparents were forced into U.S. concentration camps and incarcerated. This evening, Council has stood up and spoken up. I am proud to be part of defending our neighbors and our democracy."
"I want to thank every Portlander who has peacefully protested, testified, and spoken out against the Trump administration's aggressive and distressing federal overreach," Councilor Clark said. "We do not want our neighborhoods overrun by chaos and confusion. We do not want this to turn into another Kent State tragedy. We do not want Portlanders feeling scared. These are not our values."
The PPI resolution urges the Mayor to:
- Demand that the Trump administration stand down from any deployment of the U.S. Armed Force, National Guard, or militarized immigration or crowd-control operations in Portland.
- Challenge any unconstitutional actions in court.
- Prohibit City bureaus from assisting with protest suppression or immigration enforcement.
- Ensure that Portland Police comply with all federal, state, and local laws and policies to protect the rights of the public.
- Commit to transparently reporting any known or reported federal deployments or enforcement actions related to protest activity.
The resolution also asks the Mayor to create the Protect Portland Initiative, which will:
- Continue to coordinate across local, state, and federal partners in government and community.
- Designate a Citywide Immigrant Affairs Liaison to lead and coordinate immigrant and refugee-related policies and initiatives.
- Continue to develop a multilingual and centralized "Protect Portland" public information hub.
- Use FOIA requests and other legal and administrative mechanisms to uncover ICE activity and report back quarterly.
- Continue to convene immigrant rights, legal services, educational institutions, faith leaders and community partners to prepare rapid response systems.
Additional provisions in the PPI resolution establish guidelines for Portland Police Bureau officers' conduct and coordination with the Trump administration; transparency and reporting requirements bureaus when federal enforcement activity is suspected or detected; a Contractor Preparedness Plan for City contractors; and a commitment to future code changes where needed. The PPI resolution also reaffirms the City's Sanctuary City status to ensure no City resources are used in immigration enforcement except when required by law.
Full text of the resolution can be foundhere.
Source: City of Portland