Three speakers representing immigrant and legal‑aid organizations urged Portland City Council to expand access to immigration legal services, saying immediate city action can prevent family separation, exploitation and deportation.

Carrie Baben of the New Portlanders Policy Commission (NPPC) testified that many New Portlanders are losing humanitarian protections and that "legal support is often the difference between safety and separation," urging the city to intervene where it can to expand low‑cost legal assistance. Mary Karam, also speaking for the NPPC, said the commission worked with SOAR and PCC Clear Clinic to develop cost‑effective recommendations and emphasized the immediacy of the need for representation for people navigating complex immigration systems.

Caroline VanderHorton, director of SOAR immigration legal services, described unprecedented demand: SOAR receives "over a 100 calls every single day" and currently serves more than 3,000 low‑income immigrants annually across two offices. She said SOAR's PCC partnership provides free services under a city IGA, but that current funding has bookings into March and cannot meet the surge in requests. "Many of these humanitarian temporary status holders are qualified for some path to citizenship, and the city of Portland can help by increasing access to free immigration legal services," she said.

Councilors thanked speakers and acknowledged the city's limited jurisdiction over federal immigration policy, but several members said the council could still act to expand or fund local legal services through partnerships and intergovernmental agreements. Staff did not present a funding proposal at the meeting; councilors asked staff to consider options and follow up with concrete recommendations.

What’s next: Advocates requested that council consider immediate investments or expansions to existing contract‑based services (SOAR, PCC Clear Clinic) and asked OGR and the housing/human services bureaus to return with options for low‑cost legal representation funding and delivery.