Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson declared an emergency in response to ongoing impacts from federal immigration enforcement — providing increased flexibility and direction as the County continues to respond to harmful U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.

“Multnomah County is committed to using every tool at our disposal to support our immigrant and refugee neighbors, and this declaration strengthens our response to the cruel actions that are terrorizing families throughout Multnomah County,” said Chair Jessica Vega Pederson. “Our diversity is our strength, and we will never waiver from our commitment to serve every person who lives here with dignity.”

Multnomah County is home to a diverse and vibrant community of people representing many races, ethnicities, and nationalities, including immigrants and refugees from all over the world. More than 13% of Multnomah County residents were born outside the United States.

The County has long recognized and valued the diverse contributions of all individuals, affirming its commitment to upholding the dignity and respect of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, immigration or refugee status, heritage, culture or religion.

The actions of federal immigration enforcement authorities institutionalizes racial profiling and encourages discrimination, which has caused widespread fear among Multnomah County residents. That fear has led to a measurable decline in workforce participation, particularly among immigrant and mixed-status families. Increased immigration enforcement has caused some residents to fear leaving their homes to go to work, attend school, access County services, take public transportation, or attend medical appointments.

Increased Flexibility to Address Harm, Fear Caused by Federal Immigration Policy

Declaring an emergency provides increased flexibility and direction to address the harm and fear that is impacting so many of the people Multnomah County serves.

This emergency declaration will:

Ensure Multnomah County agencies under the direction of the Chair continue to adhere to and comply with Oregon’s sanctuary statutes.
Direct County officers and employees to perform or facilitate emergency services.
Provide the ability to suspend purchasing rules to accelerate getting resources into the community.
Request emergency assistance from the State of Oregon:
- Financial relief for affected families and small businesses
- Expanded access to food, housing and mental health services
- Support for local nonprofits and service providers responding to increased demand
Call upon the state government and Oregon’s Congressional delegation to:
- Publicly denounce all unconstitutional actions
- Prioritize legislation offering comprehensive immigration reform that aligns enforcement with our economic needs, humanitarian values and community realities.

Strengthening Multnomah County’s Sanctuary Status

The Emergency Declaration comes in advance of a resolution introduced by Chair Jessica Vega Pederson and District 2 Commissioner Shannon Singleton to reaffirm and strengthen Multnomah County’s Sanctuary County status. On Thursday, Dec. 18, the Board of Commissioners will consider both the resolution and an emergency funding allocation to direct $250,000 toward human and legal services to address impacts of federal action.

Chair Vega Pederson and Commissioner Singleton will also host a virtual town hall and listening session Monday, Dec. 15, to receive community feedback on proposed sanctuary policy updates.

Building Upon Multnomah County’s Previous Action

Multnomah County has been taking action in response to federal policy changes throughout the year, including investments in food assistance and the establishment of an Emergency Operations Center to monitor ICE activity, federal aggression to peaceful protests, and food security concerns that were heightened by the longest government shutdown in the history of the United States.

This week, Multnomah County published a new website so community members can easily understand how we are responding to federal impacts and what resources are available: multco.us/federal

The Emergency Declaration and Sanctuary Resolution build upon previous work by the Board of Commissioners to strengthen our response to this federal administration's draconian policies and practices.

Aligned with Regional Partners

Jurisdictions across Oregon, including the cities of Portland, Salem, Woodburn and Hillsboro, and Washington County, have recognized the harmful effects of the federal government’s callous and heavy-handed approach to immigration enforcement and have taken action through declaring emergencies, strengthening local law, and/or directing funding to address impacts.

Multnomah County staff are working in coordination with these partners to share lessons learned and feedback received.

Source: Multnomah County

Scott Tom