Councilor Sameer Kanal Announces Legislation to Protect Portlanders from ICE and Kidnappings

Portland, OR-Portland City Councilor Sameer Kanal announced today he is introducing two pieces of legislation to strengthen Portland's sanctuary city protections and limit the harms of the federal government on immigrant, Latiné and other vulnerable communities.

The first ordinance, filed on Tuesday, September 9^th, would codify Portland's "sanctuary city" status. The City Council adopted a resolution in March 2017 declaring Portland a sanctuary city, prohibiting the use of City funds, personnel or equipment to enforce federal immigration law. However, the resolution is not binding law.

"Our city sanctuary status should be more than just intentions-they should be part of our City Code," said Councilor Kanal. "Portland is a more vibrant place because everyone, no matter where they're from or what their immigration status is, can be part of the fabric of our community. We take care of each other here, and that means doing everything we can to keep our neighbors safe from those who would rip them from their families and send them to a detention center in another state or country just because they have a Spanish last name, or because the path to a green card or citizenship is preposterously slow and difficult. Putting our money where our mouth is when it comes to being a sanctuary city is the least we can do, and that's why it's our first step."

The ordinance requires the City Administrator to urgently create and implement policies, resources and programs to protect and support community members and employees in the wake of ICE's attacks on Portlanders. These actions would encompass employee sanctuary city trainings, FOIA requests for immigration enforcement activities, reviews of city services for sanctuary city policy compliance, posting signage in City buildings about entry requirements, designating an Immigrant Affairs Liaison in each bureau, and creating a working group to guide the direction of administrative policies, procedures and best practices related to federal immigration enforcement impacts.

It further calls on the U.S. Congress to pass legislation to further safeguard civil rights, including the Preventing Authoritarian Policing Tactics on America's Streets Act, the Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement Act and the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act.

Councilor Kanal will also introduce an ordinance next week that seeks to prohibit all law enforcement, including federal agents, from intentionally concealing their identities during routine operations engaging the public and require badges to be clearly visible. There is currently no policy in the City of Portland prohibiting law enforcement officers from hiding their faces.

When face coverings are worn and identification isn't displayed, it's difficult to distinguish between a legitimate law enforcement officer and a civilian impersonator posing as a federal agent to kidnap someone.

The two ordinances are the first of a series of actions members of the City Council are pursuing to keep Portland communities safe from federal aggression. Local governments are increasingly taking steps to protect targeted communities through policy, with both Los Angeles and Berkeley, California among the cities that have adopted sanctuary city ordinances in the past year.

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