Oregon City commissioners direct staff to draft resolution after public pleas over ICE activity

Oregon City commissioners on Dec. 3 instructed staff to draft a resolution responding to recent immigration‑enforcement activity after a wave of public comments urging the city to act.

Residents described fear and disruption tied to detentions. Amy Mitchell read a letter from a county resident who said she and her family felt unsafe after local enforcement activity and had to close their food truck business. "We are not bad people," the letter read, according to Mitchell. Rick Pillar urged the commission to "adopt a resolution to condemn the unconstitutional actions of ICE," telling the panel he has met displaced workers on job sites and called for accountability for employers who exploit undocumented labor.

Jen Mess, an Oregon City resident, cited the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition hotline report for November and said the report showed a high number of detentions in Oregon and specific local impacts: "With numbers like these, it's understandable that many families in Oregon City right now are afraid to leave their homes," she said. Mess recommended either a formal declaration or a clear process and timeline for discussion so the community can see what comes next.

In discussion the mayor said she had reviewed Oregon Revised Statutes related to emergency declarations and did not believe the city met that legal threshold at this time but nevertheless supported directing staff to prepare a draft resolution. Commissioner Mike Mitchell moved to have staff prepare the draft; the motion carried unanimously.

The commission did not adopt a final policy at the meeting; the action was to direct staff to prepare a resolution for a future meeting. The next procedural step is for staff to draft the resolution and return it for the commission’s review.