Residents urge Washington County to declare emergency and codify sanctuary amid reported ICE activity

Dozens of residents and community leaders told the Washington County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 28 that recent immigration enforcement activity in and around Beaverton and other county communities has created widespread fear and “a public safety emergency.” Speakers urged the board to declare a state of emergency, codify county-level sanctuary protections and make emergency funds available to families who have lost primary earners.

The testimony described masked people arriving in unmarked vehicles, alleged failure to present warrants, and repeated reports of detentions near schools, houses of worship and workplaces. "Our county is the most diverse county in Oregon with nearly 40% of the county identifying as non white," said Evelyn Coacher, a lifelong Beaverton resident. "This flaunting of our rights cannot be allowed to continue."

Speakers gave multiple examples they said showed a pattern of enforcement that is traumatizing families and children. "Children are afraid to go to school, parents are afraid to go to work," Coacher said. Nadia Hassan, a former Beaverton high school teacher who testified remotely, said: "These masked individuals with no identification marked with words like ICE and police are not agents of the law." Several speakers said they had witnessed or been told about vehicles with swapped plates and agents who did not show warrants.

Tammy Carpenter, who identified herself as a Beaverton School Board member speaking on her own behalf, linked the reports to local public-safety politics and asked commissioners to use their authority over county law enforcement. "I do not support a sheriff's levy if the sheriffs are not standing up right now to protect us," Carpenter said, and asked the board to direct sheriff's deputies to insist on warrants and to protect residents’ civil rights.

Barry John Smith, co-chair of the Advising Council on Racial Equity, urged the county to establish an emergency fund for community-based organizations assisting impacted families and to hold federal agents accountable where their operations violate local or state law. "When a significant portion of our population is afraid to participate in daily life, that becomes a public safety emergency," he said.

Other speakers described specific incidents near Sunset High School and in other neighborhoods, and at least one witness said she had personally seen someone taken from a vehicle. Antonio Lopez, who spoke during the second public-comment period, criticized the county for what he called a lack of urgent response and said officials had displayed "the privilege of continuing as business as usual while our community is in crisis."

No formal county action on the speakers’ emergency requests was recorded during the meeting. Commissioners listened and thanked speakers; subsequent agenda items proceeded, and the board took no immediate vote or adopted directive to declare a state of emergency or to codify sanctuary policy at this meeting.

The speakers asked for several specific steps the board could take, including: declaring a state of emergency; codifying county sanctuary protections; requesting transparency from Port of Portland about immigration activity at Hillsboro Airport; releasing emergency funds for rent, food or legal assistance; and directing local law enforcement to require warrants and report civil-rights complaints. The transcript and public comment reflected that residents believe such measures are needed to address both immediate financial needs and long-term fear in immigrant communities.

What happened next: after the public-comment periods the board proceeded with a consent agenda and later adopted unrelated items (including a library funding methodology), and it unanimously adjourned after routine announcements. The record of this meeting contains extensive testimony but does not show a formal motion or vote on the emergency or sanctuary requests.