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Q&A: ICE Enforcement Response

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City Council meeting & work session on immigration enforcement

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Hillsboro community members have emailed, called, and testified during public comment at Hillsboro City Council meetings with many questions about the City's work in response to federal immigration enforcement by ICE and other agencies.

These are the most frequently asked questions:

What does it mean for Hillsboro to be a sanctuary city?

The City of Hillsboro became a Sanctuary City in March 2017 and continues our commitment to providing a safe community for all individuals, regardless of ethnicity or immigration status.

Resolution 2552 reaffirms the Hillsboro Police Department and the Hillsboro Fire & Rescue Department will respond to emergencies and provide public safety assistance whenever called upon.

Hillsboro public safety officers and staff will not inquire about immigration status.

Oregon state law does not allow law enforcement agencies to use money, equipment, or personnel to detect or apprehend people whose only violation of law is that they are citizens of a foreign country who are in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws.

Hillsboro's Sanctuary City designation does not provide protection from federal immigration law enforcement.

What does the City’s emergency declaration do?

The City Council unanimously adopted the resolution declaring the emergency during its meeting on November 18, 2025, while directing the City to take more actions to address the impacts of immigration enforcement in Hillsboro.

The Council’s emergency declaration condemns U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers’ reported and alleged conduct infringing on the constitutional rights of members of the Hillsboro community, including:

arresting and detaining individuals without affording due process rights.

refusing to share information about the reason for an individual’s arrest or the location where an individual will be detained.

routinely wearing masks and refusing to provide identification

questioning residents and visitors about their immigration status based on their race, ethnicity, language, accent, occupation, or presence at certain locations such as day-labor sites, bus stops, car washes, and parking lots.

condemns ICE enforcement actions targeting students and families, and calls for an immediate end to such actions.

calls on all elected officials, including members of Congress from Oregon, to publicly denounce these unconstitutional actions, demand immediate oversight and transparency from immigration enforcement agencies, and work to ensure the rights of all individuals — regardless of immigration status — are fully protected under the Constitution.

demands that the Oregon Congressional delegation prioritize a bill at the next Congressional session offering comprehensive immigration reform that aligns enforcement with our economic needs, humanitarian values, and community realities.

requests that members of the Legislature and the Governor take action to protect our immigrant and other vulnerable communities from the unlawful and unnecessary actions being taken by federal agents in the name of immigration enforcement, such as imposing a mask ban or imposing identification requirements.

Within the City Council’s emergency declaration resolution, City of Hillsboro employees are directed to:

continue to identify and clearly label with signage those non-public spaces within City-owned or City-leased buildings that are not accessible to the general public, including offices and other restricted-entry areas.

continue to coordinate with community partners and other municipalities.

participate in trainings on City and State sanctuary policies and laws.

The Council’s declaration also requires reports to the Council regarding the implementation of the resolution.

See more details here: Hillsboro City Council Declares State of Emergency due to Immigration Enforcement Impacts

Where does the new grant money come from? How will it be used?

The $200,000 in new community grant funding available from the City of Hillsboro was allocated from the City’s general fund. City leaders are working in collaboration with community partners to distribute the $200,000 of new funding to organizations serving community members in need who have been negatively impacted by the increased activity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers within our community.

Council prioritized awarding funds for the following service areas:

Food and legal services

Rent/mortgage assistance and service navigation/case management

Cellphone/internet, childcare, healthcare services (including mental health), and utility bill assistance

Relocation assistance

The newly announced funding is in addition to $200,000 previously identified through the City’s Community Services Grant program which helps support programs or activities that address community needs including, but not limited to, mental and physical health, child care, drug and alcohol recovery, vocational rehabilitation, aging, housing, family support and public safety, for a total of $400,000 that will be disbursed to community-based organizations by the City of Hillsboro.

Does Hillsboro use Flock cameras? Are you sharing the data?

The City of Hillsboro Police Department does not use Flock cameras and does not willingly share Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) data with federal agencies.

Following a comprehensive review of the ALPR program, the Hillsboro Police Department plans to resume the use of ALPR trailers on an as-needed basis. This review ensured that data is not shared unintentionally and that appropriate safeguards protect our community's privacy and data security.

What is the City doing to help Latino-owned small businesses?

The City Council asked staff to come back with options to evaluate among other items:

Finding opportunities to assist with rent relief for impacted community members and small businesses

In addition, City staff and City Councilors have been using video, social media, and other City communication channels to promote local Latino-owned small businesses and encourage community and customer support.

What resources are available for community members?

Can ICE use City property for operations and arrests?

ICE officers can access areas that are open to the public without a warrant or subpoena. Signage is being posted in City facilities in areas that are not generally open to the public to make it clear that these area are off limits to ICE agents without a warrant or subpoena.

City staff have been provided with training and resources should ICE officers want to access those areas, and City staff must document all interactions with ICE and other immigration enforcement agents.

It should be noted that ICE agents may choose not to follow the City's rules. The community should be aware of this and not have a false sense of safety because of City signage.

Can the City restrict ICE from accessing City-owned parking lots?

Can the City empower its employees and contractors to alert the community to ICE presence on City property?

State law precludes City staff from assisting with immigration enforcement, and federal law precludes any person from concealing, harboring, or shielding from detection individuals unlawfully present in the United States. Because of these laws, City employees, unless designated as official spokespersons, should not provide information regarding ICE or law enforcement activity to community members. Employees who have witnessed ICE activity and wish to help are understandably in a difficult position; however, current guidance does not advise proactive community notification.

Why are HPD officers sometimes seen near ICE operations?

The presence of HPD officers near ICE operations should NOT be interpreted as cooperation or coordination with ICE. HPD does not assist or participate in ICE enforcement actions, because State and local laws do not allow them to, except in very limited capacities.

When HPD officers are near ICE activity, it is typically because:

They have been called to the area to address a public safety issue

They are responding to a call for service

They happen to be in the same general location in our city

They are monitoring for immediate local safety concerns like traffic hazards or crowd management

Hillsboro Police officers are often put in a challenging situation when they are responding to ICE calls. While they cannot interfere and do not cooperate with immigration enforcement, City leadership has asked them to learn as much as they can about what occurred or is occurring when they arrive on scene. ICE agents are not always very forthcoming with information, which leaves officers trying to piece together what happened.

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Answers to the most frequently asked questions by Hillsboro community members

These are the most frequently asked questions: