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Residents describe fear, school absenteeism and business loss as they urge Hood River to declare sanctuary status
Summary
Dozens of residents testified about fear and disruption from ICE activity — including students missing school and lost business at local markets — and asked the council to adopt sanctuary measures, signage, staff training and support for community organizations.
Several dozen residents addressed the Hood River City Council during the public-comment period, offering first-hand accounts of the effects of recent immigration-enforcement activity on families, schools and businesses.
Speakers included parents, a local high-school teacher, students and business owners. Kate Nichols, a high-school teacher, told the council several classes lost half their students for days because families were too afraid to drive to school. A local business owner, Gage, said an estimated 25–33% of his revenue depends on Spanish-speaking workers and customers, and that fear was depressing local commerce. Students described attending class while terrified for their parents’ safety.
Many speakers urged a sanctuary-city declaration to send a public message and to pair that language with practical measures: signage on city property warning that immigration enforcement requires a judicial warrant, know-your-rights training for staff and the public, funding for legal and wraparound assistance, rapid-response teams to monitor ICE activity, and targeted outreach (listening sessions and town halls) that include Spanish-language options.
Representative quote: "Children are afraid to go to school. Parents are terrified to go to work or just the store to buy basic necessities," one public commenter said.
What the council heard: repeated claims that ICE operations targeted nonviolent residents and that those operations have produced measurable local harms — decreased attendance at schools, fewer food-bank visits by Hispanic families, and reduced business at a local Mercado. The council and staff acknowledged the claims and committed to follow-up analysis and next steps; city staff also noted legal and operational limits on what the city can do without creating liability for employees.
Ending: The public-comment session was the emotional core of the meeting and directly shaped the council’s decision to authorize an emergency declaration and ask staff to develop concrete measures and a schedule of follow-up actions.
