Gov. Tina Kotek doubles down on Oregon’s sanctuary laws in response to U.S. AG

In a Tuesday letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Gov. Tina Kotek defended Oregon’s sanctuary laws and said Bondi’s assertions that the state hampers enforcement of federal immigration laws are unfounded.

The letter came after Bondi last week threatened to take legal action against Oregon and dozens of other sanctuary states and cities if they did not commit to repealing any laws that “impede federal immigration enforcement” by Tuesday.

In her response, Kotek disputed Bondi’s claim that Oregon law enforcement and public agencies have obstructed immigration enforcement efforts.

“The State of Oregon is in compliance with federal law and will continue to follow state law,” Kotek said in the letter. “Therefore, no ‘immediate initiatives’ are necessary to eliminate laws that impede federal immigration enforcement.”

Local officials in Portland, which received a similar message from Bondi due to its own sanctuary laws, said Tuesday afternoon they also have no plans to change their policy.

“Please take this letter as the city’s response that the city of Portland complies with applicable federal and state laws, and the city of Portland will continue to follow such laws,” Portland City Attorney Robert Taylor wrote in a response to Bondi.

In 1987, Oregon became the first state in the country to pass laws barring state and local law enforcement officials from aiding federal immigration enforcement actions.

Sanctuary laws do not restrict federal immigration authorities from operating within the jurisdiction of local governments. In recent months, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers have arrested farmworkers near Woodburn, a parent dropping off his child at a Beaverton preschool and employees of a Yamhill County vineyard services company, among others.

“The state does not take on the additional expense or burden to perform federal immigration enforcement as it is the job of the federal government,” wrote Kotek, a progressive Democrat who has reiterated her commitment to Oregon’s sanctuary laws since President Donald Trump retook the nation’s highest office this year.

Kotek pointed out that Oregonians have historically shown support for the state’s sanctuary laws. In 2018, for example, 63% of voters opposed a ballot measure that would have repealed the decades-old policy. State lawmakers passed legislation in 2021 to strengthen the law and restrict immigration authorities’ access to Oregonians’ information.

— Carlos Fuentes covers state politics and government. Reach him at 503-221-5386 or cfuentes@oregonian.com.