$200,000 in Community Grants to Support Hillsboro Residents, Businesses Impacted by ICE

Hillsboro families and local businesses impacted by federal immigration enforcement will be supported with $200,000 in new community grant funding available from the City of Hillsboro.

City leaders are currently working in collaboration with community partners on details for how best to distribute the $200,000 of new funding to organizations serving impacted community members.

The newly announced funding is in addition to $200,000 previously identified through the City's Community Services Grant program, for a total of $400,000 that will be disbursed to community-based organizations by the City of Hillsboro.

City Council Responds to ICE Activity

The Hillsboro City Council discussed the funding increase during its November 4 work session focused on responding to the increase in ICE activity in Hillsboro.

"The first thing that everyone in our community should know is that if we had the power to stop ICE, we would stop ICE," said Mayor Beach Pace after the meeting. "The City Council is united in that. But we don't have that power because of the supremacy clause in the U.S. Constitution, Article 6, Paragraph 2. We cannot interfere with federal agents. If we could, we would stop ICE."

In between the two-part work session, the Council listened to about three hours of public comment as dozens of community members shared their personal concerns, fear, and pain caused by ICE activity in Hillsboro. The entire 5-hour meeting is on TVCTV's website for Hillsboro City Council meetings.

"Our community's comments were incredibly moving. We are united as a City Council in our desire to support our community," Pace said. "We've also received feedback to stop talking about what we can't do and discuss what we can do. What we can do is invest in our community, our residents, and our businesses. And we are doing that with community grants."

City of Hillsboro staff and the Hillsboro City Council will continue discussing more options to support community members impacted by immigration enforcement.

Another City Council Work Session is scheduled for November 18, as well as plans for additional work sessions in the coming weeks and months.

What the City of Hillsboro Police Department Is Doing

During the November 4, 2025, meeting, Hillsboro Police Chief Jim Coleman told the Council that the Police Department responds to all calls, including calls for help when someone is concerned about people in masks who may be ICE agents.

Chief Coleman emphasized that the department would act against anyone impersonating an ICE agent. However, to date, the department has not received any credible reports of such incidents.

As a sanctuary city operating under Oregon law, the Hillsboro Police Department does not coordinate with ICE or enforce immigration law. Chief Coleman emphasizes that community members should contact HPD if they are witnesses to or victims of a crime, regardless of their immigration status. Hillsboro Police officers are dedicated to serving and protecting all members of the community and will not inquire about anyone's immigration status.

Coleman and others have worked to educate community members that if they interfere with federal agents, they can create safety risks for everyone involved and may result in their arrest, use of force, or other repercussions.

What Community Can Do

The City of Hillsboro is providing accurate information to community members on a newly created Immigration Resources webpage, including information about:

• Knowing your rights: SOAR Immigration Legal Services

• Getting help: Call PIRC (Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition) at 1-888-622-1510

• Documenting ICE activities safely from a distance

• Calling HPD for public safety concerns: 911 (emergency) or 503-629-0111 (non-emergency)

• Knowing what it means to be a sanctuary city

Recently, Mayor Pace and Police Chief Jim Coleman shared a video message with the community in English, as well as in Spanish.

The City will provide more information about its work to respond to immigration enforcement actions in our community, as well as answers to commonly received questions, in upcoming Happening in Hillsboro email updates, and Spanish-language Creciendo Juntos email updates. Community members are encouraged to sign up to receive those email updates.