Artículo en español

UPDATE: The City of Hillsboro invites local Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to request funding that supports community members in need who have been negatively impacted by the increased activity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers within our community.

Funding through this opportunity may be used to provide assistance to Hillsboro community members, such as:

• Food


• Legal services


• Rent/mortgage assistance


• Service navigation and case management


• Cell phone/internet access


• Childcare costs


• Healthcare services (including mental health)


• Utility bill assistance


• Relocation assistance so that residents can meet essential needs that they cannot meet due to ICE activity

However, funding may not be used to support anyone who is undocumented per federal regulations. CBOs must submit one (1) application per service category, which may be up to $40,000 per application. Organizations may submit up to three (3) applications for this opportunity. The maximum amount of funding a CBO may receive is $50,000.

Article published November 6, 2025 

Community members 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 working in collaboration with community partners 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 legally 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 and emotional,” Mayor Pace said. “We remain united as a City Council in our desire to support our community. We’ve also received feedback to stop talking about what we cannot 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 to support community members impacted by immigration enforcement.”

City of Hillsboro staff and the Hillsboro City Council will continue discussing more options to support community members. Another City Council Work Session is scheduled for November 18, and the City plans additional work sessions in the coming 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.