City attorneys and police outline sanctuary limits; land-use counsel says McAdam ICE facility permit cannot be unilaterally rescinded

City attorneys, police and councilors on June 24 reviewed Portland's sanctuary laws, recent litigation and the city's limited authority to revoke the conditional use permit for the McAdam ICE facility.

Heidi Brown, chief deputy city attorney, told the committee that Oregon has had sanctuary protections since 1987 that generally prohibit state and local government entities from using personnel, equipment or funds to detect or arrest people for federal civil immigration enforcement. Brown said exceptions include arrests based on criminal warrants issued by a federal judge; she also said public bodies cannot deny services or ask about immigration status except in limited, legally specified circumstances. Brown described two lawsuits the city joined seeking to block federal actions that would condition federal grants on cooperation with immigration enforcement; she said preliminary injunctions obtained in those cases have so far prevented federal agencies from withholding certain grant…