Lane County, Eugene and Springfield officials discuss sanctuary status and next steps

Commissioner Farr and the mayors of Eugene and Springfield updated the Lane County Poverty and Homelessness Board Executive Committee on Jan. 16 about ongoing work to affirm and possibly expand sanctuary protections for immigrants and LGBTQIA2S+ residents.

Commissioner Farr said the County is “working on an ongoing basis” to identify how to provide a safe sanctuary for people in Lane County and to consider whether county measures can go beyond state statutes. She described consultations this week, including a presentation on Oregon’s sanctuary statutes and a discussion with Captain Rice of the Lane County Jail, who said county public safety agencies will follow Oregon law rather than federal immigration enforcement absent a judicial warrant. Farr said the Board of Commissioners has unanimous support for moving the issue forward and that additional meetings were scheduled (the county staff anticipated public materials and a Jan. 28 meeting to continue the discussion).

Mayor Lucy Vinis (Eugene) and Mayor Chris Van Gordon (Springfield) (first reference: Mayor Lucy Vinis, Eugene City Council; Mayor Chris Van Gordon, Springfield) summarized local ordinances and policies that they said commit their cities to protections for immigrants and transgender residents. Vinis cited several adopted measures that she said express city commitments to a welcoming, inclusive community and noted Eugene Code sections affecting collection and use of immigration-status information (Eugene Code 2.495 and 2.497) and a bias-crime ordinance (Eugene Code 4.731). Van Gordon described Springfield’s compliance with state law and encouraged community members to report crimes or safety concerns regardless of immigration status.

Why this matters: county and city leaders emphasized that local governments must follow state law, described existing local protections and said they will coordinate public meetings and outreach so residents know where to provide testimony and how to get information. County staff noted the Board of Health (the Board of County Commissioners acting in that role) can adopt health-related ordinances that apply inside city limits as well as outside them, which could shape county-level responses.

Procedural next steps and public participation: - Commissioner Farr said the county held an informational session and expects a public meeting on or about Jan. 28; any formal public hearing dates will be posted in advance. Farr invited written testimony and other input. - Captain Rice (Lane County Jail) told the county group the jail follows Oregon law and will not coordinate with federal immigration enforcement absent proper warrants (as explained in Tuesday’s presentation). - Mayors Van Gordon and Vinis urged residents to report crime and to participate in public testimony; Vinis said Eugene’s City Code already restricts use of city resources for immigration enforcement in most circumstances and prohibits maintenance of individually identifiable immigration-status data except in narrow circumstances.

Ending: county and city officials said they will continue coordination and outreach and that the poverty and homelessness board will not have direct jurisdiction over municipal ordinances but will help publicize how and where residents can provide input to city and county proceedings.