Residents urge Marion County commissioners to drop lawsuit over sanctuary law; dozens speak at meeting

Dozens of residents urged Marion County commissioners on Sept. 17 to abandon a lawsuit the county filed to clarify how local officials must respond to federal immigration requests.

Public comment at the Marion County Board of Commissioners' weekly meeting focused on the county's legal challenge over whether administrative requests or judicial warrants are required before local agencies share information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Speakers said the lawsuit is unnecessary, risks harm to immigrant residents and is a politicized action that could cost county resources.

The public comments matter, speakers said, because of the potential for ICE enforcement actions. "The Fifth Amendment is very clear on this point. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without the due process of law," said Jill Hollingsworth of Salem during the public-comment period. "Note that this says person, not citizen."

Why it matters: Speakers said Oregon's sanctuary law, enacted in 1987, already restricts local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement except when a judicial warrant is presented. Several speakers said the county had neither sought the attorney general's guidance before filing nor exhausted less disruptive alternatives.

Commenters described repeated themes: legal and moral concerns about due process, fear that the lawsuit normalizes aggressive federal immigration enforcement, and political motives behind the county action. Inga Johnson, a retired district court clerk, emphasized the practical role of due-process protections in courtrooms: "Rights of due process are 1 of the things that separates us as America Americans from being a police state, a dictatorship, a fascist regime," she said. Elise Strauss told commissioners, "You can't share information with ICE unless you have a judicial warrant. That's it. That's all." Paige Barton, chair of the Marion County Democratic Party, delivered 301 petition signatures and urged the board to coordinate with state leaders before pursuing litigation.

Multiple speakers framed the lawsuit as a political stunt or a campaign tactic. Rachel Atchison said she had read the statement from the Oregon attorney general and accused the commissioners of not consulting the AG's office before filing: "After reading the statement ... and hearing that you did not contact his office prior to filing your lawsuit, it becomes even more clear that this is a political stunt," she said.

Other commenters highlighted potential public-safety and community impacts. Jennifer Carley, a retired psychiatric mental-health nurse practitioner, said sanctuary protections make it more likely that victims and witnesses come forward. Larry Ramsey warned of escalated federal presence if the suit succeeds, calling the possibility alarming.

Commissioner response: Commissioner Bethel addressed the audience later in the meeting, saying the county action is about public safety and that legal work on the suit is being handled within the county's existing legal budget. "This is about keeping the community safe and being able to do the job that I was elected to do on behalf of the residents in this community," Bethel said. She also apologized for a prior meeting practice that allowed applause for some participants but not others, calling that an oversight.

What the meeting did not decide: The board did not vote to withdraw or otherwise resolve the lawsuit during the Sept. 17 session. Commissioners proceeded with other agenda items and the consent agenda after public comment concluded.

Public-comments context: Speakers included residents from multiple Marion County communities and representatives of local organizations. Several referenced state guidance and court rulings they said already clarify interactions between state sanctuary law and federal immigration enforcement.

Looking ahead: Commissioners did not place the lawsuit on the meeting's formal action list that day; no next-step timeline was announced during the session.