Dozens of residents urged the Newberg City Council on Dec. 1 to take steps to protect immigrant neighbors after multiple speakers described recent arrests and surveillance activity around schools and neighborhoods.

At the meeting, rapid responder Casey Banks said ICE operated drones and a helicopter that had been spotted over Edwards Elementary and the school district office and said volunteers had observed at least two unmarked vehicles and one speeding vehicle inside Newberg. "I witnessed at least 2 ICE vehicles in Newberg without any license plates," Banks said, and asked the council to direct the police department to work with the school district's IT staff to investigate phone-line outages that occurred the same day.

Other public commenters amplified those concerns. Sonda Martin urged the council to explain how it will "protect our immigrant community members against the unlawful targeting, arrest and detainment by ICE agents" and asked whether the Newberg Police Department (NDPD) would verify federal-agent identities when called to a scene. Rainey Sweetman cited Title 8, section 287.8 of the U.S. Code, saying immigration officers are required to identify themselves, and asked councilors to require marked vehicles and clear identification.

Several speakers recounted individual and community harm. Jessica Yu referred to a June detention of community member Moises Sotelo and said the county has seen "at least 15 families" affected in recent months. Andy Byerly invoked state law, saying ORS 181.820 prohibits local agencies from using resources to enforce federal civil immigration law without a judicial warrant, and urged the council to publish a clear, multilingual statement assuring residents that city resources will not be used for civil immigration enforcement without a warrant.

Councilors did not adopt a formal policy or resolution at the meeting. Multiple members acknowledged constituents' concerns and discussed options: issuing public guidance, clarifying NDPD procedures for verifying federal-agent identity, and coordinating with schools. Speakers repeatedly asked for transparency and concrete steps the city can take within its authority.

The public-comment period included requests for specific actions: (1) NDPD to verify identities of federal agents when present; (2) the city to publicize how it will respond to 911 calls involving federal agents; (3) a multilingual public statement affirming compliance with ORS 181.820; and (4) an investigation into the cause of local phone-line outages that coincided with reported ICE activity.

The council did not set a follow-up date for those requests during the meeting. Mayor Rosacker said the council had heard residents and that staff could prepare options for future consideration.

What happens next: residents asked the council to publish the police response plan, consider a public statement, and make any investigative findings public; no formal vote or directive was recorded on those specific requests at the Dec. 1 session.

Sources: Public comments at the Dec. 1, 2025 Newberg City Council meeting, including remarks by Casey Banks, Sonda Martin, Jessica Yu and others.