The record · Transcript
Council Session — 2025-07-08
Transcript from the session's official auto-captions (21,380 words), shown in readable case and split into speaker turns. Speakers are not yet identified (colors just separate consecutive turns). Auto-captions can contain errors — check the recording for anything that matters.
Session summaryEditor-reviewed
The Community and Public Safety Committee convened on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at 2:33 p.m., with roll call confirming attendance of committee members. After a statement of conduct was read, the meeting was devoted entirely to a public hearing on Portland's sanctuary city status, with no items scheduled for a vote that day. Brief introductory remarks preceded roughly three hours of public testimony, structured in groups of three speakers given two minutes each. Dozens of community members addressed the ICE facility on South Macadam Avenue, its 2011 conditional use permit, and alleged permit violations regarding detention time limits and safety conditions. Topics raised included use of tear gas and other munitions near a neighborhood elementary school, injuries to protesters, allegations of Portland Police Bureau cooperation with federal agents, economic and public-safety concerns from residents, and calls both for revoking the permit and for maintaining ICE operations. Some figures cited regarding permit violations, detainee counts, and dates of documented incidents were stated inconsistently across testimony. Following public comment, committee members offered individual reflections on the testimony, referencing ongoing investigations and legal review. The chair closed by noting upcoming committee meetings on July 15 and July 22, 2025, and adjourned the session at 4:45 p.m. No votes occurred during this meeting.
AI-drafted from the session's auto-captions, reviewed by an editor — describes the discussion only; recorded votes live in the vote ledger. Captions contain errors.
Procedural markers in this session
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0 All right. Good afternoon everyone. I call the meeting of the community and public safety committee to order. It is Tuesday, July 8th at 2:33 p.m. Would you please take the role?
1 Morillo here.
2 Novick here.
3 Zimmerman.
4 Here.
5 Smith, here.
6 Canal here. Thank you. Christopher, will you please read the statement of conduct?
7 Welcome to the meeting of the community and public safety committee to testify before this committee in person or virtually. You must sign up in advance in the committee agenda at w-w-w. Agenda. Community and public safety committee, or by calling 311. Information on engaging with the committee can be found at this link. Registration for virtual testimony closes one hour prior to the meeting. In person, testifiers must sign up before the agenda item is heard. For today's item, individuals may testify for two minutes. Your microphone will be muted when your time is over. The chair preserves order disruptive conduct such as shouting, refusing to conclude your testimony when your time is up, or interrupting others testimony or committee deliberations will not be allowed. If you cause a disruption, a warning will be given. Further disruption will result in ejection from the meeting. Anyone who fails to leave once ejected is subject to arrest for trespass. Additionally, the committee may take a short recess and reconvene virtually. Your testimony should address the matter being considered. When testifying. State your name for the record. If you are a lobbyist, identify the organization you represent and virtual testifier should unmute themselves when the clerk calls your name. Thank you.
8 Thank you christopher. At our last meeting, we had a presentation on sanctuary status and ice activity in Portland with a presentation from city attorneys as well as from Portland police. We did not have time for public comment then, but councilor Novick and I promised we would make time for public comment on this issue. We recognize that this is an issue of significant interest to many members of our community. It's important to us as well. We appreciate everyone's time and engagement as we continue the conversation. And as a result of that, this meeting is entirely 100% public. Comment on sanctuary status. Following a brief intro from myself and councilor Morillo. I just want to note a couple of things up front. This is not going to be your only opportunity to testify on this issue. Because today's meeting is entirely a public hearing. There's no proposed items to vote on today for council, and our role is primarily, but not exclusively related to the city's involvement. Things like Portland police bureau's role, Portland solution's role. And then last thing before we begin, when we get to public testimony, there will be a few structures we value hearing from each and every person we're committing to, committed to creating a space where everyone who has signed up to testify can be heard respectfully, and to ensure that we can hear from as many people as possible and create a productive and inclusive environment. We'll have a few specific structures. We'll have our clerk's call up three people at a time to testify. We'll have two minutes for everyone. We ask that everyone refrain from audible reactions. Please feel free to use jazz hands, thumbs up or down during others testimony though, and I'll just ask for your all's indulgence. At some point I am going to have to wrap up the meeting. We hope to have everyone who signed up today be able to testify that we have enough time for that, and we're committed to having more opportunities where people can weigh in on city actions related to ice. But I ask you to understand that at some point, today's meeting will need to end, and if we can all do that, it will help maintain a respectful space for everyone to be heard. Thank you again for being here. Look forward to hearing your perspectives and learning from your insights. We'll have the clerk call the item and then I'll pass it to councilor Morillo for a second. Yes, thanks.
9 Item one public hearing on sanctuary city status.
10 Thank you. I'll pass it over to councilor Morillo to preview this item, and then we'll get started with our first testifiers.
11 Thank you. Councilor Kanal, I just wanted to say, first of all, thank you for creating a space where community can come and share their feedback with us. I think that's been missing and it's really critical. So I'm very grateful to everyone that showed up. And I know that we might be getting some hard feedback today and that's okay. I think that's actually good and important for us to hear from people, regardless of where they're at on this issue. I think I really want to emphasize that this is changing rapidly day to day. Just yesterday, I found out that the macadam building has been reopened for some appointments. So information that's going around is oftentimes quickly becoming outdated as things are shifting. And I want to say too, that as we as councilors are getting more information about what's going on in that facility, any violations that might be occurring regarding the permit, my opinion, personally, I won't speak for everybody else. My opinion is shifting as we're getting new information. So I want to say that I'm listening to everybody with a very open mind today, and I think all councilors should, given how quickly things are evolving. I also want to say, as the only immigrant on city council, that I am personally grateful for, everybody who is out there protesting and for people who are doing a variety of things, for people who are doing legal observing, that is protecting our communities, who are getting people out of the courtrooms, making sure that they are getting back home to their families. For people who are on the streets, to me, there is no one who is good or bad in what they are doing with regards to fighting people who are kidnaping our neighbors off the streets. And sorry, I might get a little emotional today, but. Yeah, I'm grateful for everybody who's here today and we have some tough choices ahead of us. The reality is the federal government has $45 billion to open any ice facility that they want, and they're able to do that in any federal building and on federal land. And there are going to be very delicate things that we are balancing moving forward. So I'm grateful that you're here in this fight with us, and I am eager to listen to all of you today. Thank you.
12 Thank you. Will you please call the first three testifiers?
13 Just a note to testifiers who are in the second floor balcony or the overflow rooms. We will call you in groups of three. If someone is speaking when you get to the main chambers room, don't. You will get your time to testify. Please come in and approach the table. We won't skip you. Speaker number one. David medina. Then lily larson and leo barnes. And please introduce yourself for the record when you begin.
14 Where's the timer?
15 32nd I'm sorry. Speaker.
16 I don't see anything on there.
17 It'll start after you.
18 Start talking. So yeah, it's all good. I just want to make sure I get my time. Yeah. Go ahead.
19 Timer, you introduce yourself.
20 Okay. My name is david medina, and I'm here to speak in favor of ice and in favor of law enforcement. In favor of the rule of law here in Portland. Something that's been missing for so long. I'd like to thank the gotham city council for allowing me to speak today. If you guys you guys, one of the biggest things that you guys do is you guys talk about no one's above the law and you voted for a convicted felon. It's one of your favorite phrases that you and your comrades like to use, especially against president trump. But then you completely ignore some of the people that ice are taken out of our community. That poses a threat to our community. And, councilwoman Morillo, I really hope that you shed those same tears for the victims of those people on the other side of those illegal immigrants that shouldn't have been here, that committed crimes. I do share compassion for families. I do share compassion for people that are facing deportation, like the dad that was deported from his family. I share compassion on that. I'm talking about the illegal, the people that have committed crimes here, that the state of Oregon and the city of Portland have refused to honor the ice detainers on. I wonder if you shed those same tears for those for the victims of those people like leonice ramos garcia, who was picked up for coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual contact. Those are the these are the kind of people that ice are taking out of our communities. And you guys say you want to keep you can shake your head all you want. You want to keep our community safe. It's no wonder Portland is going downhill because you have the Portland trail blazers, the Portland timbers, you have businesses leaving the city, businesses that say, please prioritize public safety. And it's no wonder that this city is going downhill because you guys don't respect law enforcement. You hold them hostage just like you hold the rest of the city hostage. You hold, you demonize ice, you demonize police officers in Portland. And I pray that one day, one day, the majority of Portland that don't agree with how you guys are governing and your comrades that are attacking the ice building down there every single night and attacking officers, not the peaceful protesters, not the peaceful protesters. I'm talking about the people that are attacking ice every single night. You can laugh all you want, gotham. But let me tell you what. This is why our city fails. I thought, can I get my time back? Can I get my time back, please?
21 Pause you. I think we were at about 20s here.
22 Thank you.
23 So you.
24 Guys just.
25 Gave me. I don't know if you all know the people that are on the back end of the list, but the longer that we disrupt the people at the front, those people at the end aren't going to get time. So I understand there's going to be a lot of strong opinions here, but I'll just ask if we can. We're on the first one. There's a long list. Please feel free to signify visually though, how you feel. And if we could get 20s back on the timer, I'd like to let this.
26 Really appreciate that. Thank you.
27 Thank you.
28 Yeah. You know, you guys can laugh all you want, and you guys can sit up there and call me nazi. You can call me all that kind of stuff. But the truth of the matter is, there are victims from people that are here that have committed crimes, that you guys are not standing against. If you guys would just at least use logic in this whole process and at least get out people that are committing crimes, but you don't want to do that because you're so radically involved with your ideology and your politics. It's insane. I pray that the people of Portland wake up one day and take their city back, because majority of us democrats, republicans, libertarians, we want our city to be safer again. And you can laugh at it, but laugh for the victims and cry for the victims too. Are you guys crying for the victims?
29 Thank you very much. We're going to move on to our next testifier. Thank you. I believe it's lily. Thank you. I think our next testifier. I think our next testifier was lily larson.
30 Yeah, because I worked at. Shut up.
31 Thank you. Please, please. Thank you. Please go ahead.
32 Esteemed Portland.
33 City councilors. My name is lily larson, la. I am a resident of district four. I've looked to the federal protective services outside the ice facility in the eyes. And as they fired pepper balls and tear gas at me for standing in the street and picking up trash, I felt the kind of dread which resonates through your entire body when you're face to face with someone who believes they are exempt from the nature of humanity, such as the man we just heard from. I do not use this word lightly, but these are nazis. Our city is being taken by nazis. Portland city councilors. Will we ever learn from history? Hitler's rise to power is characterized by local and national officials making deals with the devil in the belief that it will protect them or their communities. These modern day nazis have not, and will not seek permission to expand their presence in our city. Ice is a secret police who does not respect the authority of judges or the expression of its populace. A secret police who is poisoning our neighborhoods with illegal and highly toxic hexachloroethane gas. A secret police who is tearing apart families by sending beloved parents and their children to foreign torture camps with no due process. A secret police who is quickly constructing concentration camps. Alligator alcatraz may become this century's auschwitz. Revoking the permit is not enough. Let me say that again. Revoking the permit is not enough. You must use the Portland police bureau to protect the constitutional rights of the people of Portland from a federal government who is becoming alien to the constitution, which binds us as one nation. It is time to show the people of Portland where you stand to the people of Portland. We must fight in every way we are able. As stated by judge learned hand, liberty lies in the hearts of men and women. When it dies, there no constitution, no law, no court can save it. Thank you.
34 Thank you. Next is leo barnes.
35 Hello, my name is leo barnes. Spelled b a r e s, and I'm a resident of district four. I'm honored to speak before my representatives today. On Saturday, university of minnesota professor melanie yazzie, a member of the dene nation, gave a speech about decolonization in response to it. Ann colter, a right wing grifter not too similar to not too dissimilar to the first voice we heard today. Announced to 2.1 million followers on x, quote we didn't kill enough indians. The statement was not made in isolation. The vast majority of the people that ice detains come from native ancestry. A huge fraction of the indigenous people I know are latino. All of them live in fear with old and fresh wounds of violence and colonization. Displacement of native people in this country is not new and not a thing of the past. The trail of tears, residential schools and ice buildings are all manifestations of the same racism. I have living elders who were stolen from their families and placed into christian schools with white parents. My mom grew up being called savage in the streets of her hometown and being physically abused in her church. I do not know my language, my culture, or my ancestors names. Because of these efforts, 95% of the indigenous people of turtle island died in the first few centuries of colonization, and I see no difference in the actions of the past and the violence and dehumanization of the present. The people being detained are not terrorists or criminals. They are farmers, road workers, firefighters, and members of the military doing manual labor. This country could not function without, often for far below minimum wage. It is estimated that undocumented people paid $90 billion in taxes last year to a country they are not represented in, and are punished for trying to legally immigrate to. Some of them are grandparents. Some of them are children that need to be given booster seats because they're too small to fit in the courthouse chairs. At best, deportation rips them out of their life and away from their families. At worst, it results in death. Systemic racism is a construct which relies on complacency. In order to survive, we must not cooperate in any capacity for we to have any hope of dissolving it. Revoking isis permit is absolutely a necessary step in protecting our community, and in fighting back against the wave of escalating intolerance and fascism in the united states. Thank you for your time.
36 Thank you. Rebecca, would you please call the next three testifiers?
37 Next we have brian orndorf, sean black, and jack dickinson.
38 Thank you, mr. Randolph. Please go ahead.
39 I'm brian orndorf. I live in district four. I'm here today to express deep concern about the city of portland's inconsistent enforcement of noise ordinance and riot laws, specifically in relation to 30 consecutive nights of unlawful gatherings and violent activity outside the ice facility on south macadam. I strongly support the right to peaceful protest. But when demonstrations cross the line into harassment, violence and disruption of neighborhoods, the city has a duty to intervene consistently and lawfully. Over 500 residents live within a three block radius of the federal facility for weeks. These neighbors, many of whom are low income renters, veterans and individuals struggling with ptsd, have endured unrelenting noise that violates city ordinances nightly from sundown to 2 a.m. This is not a free speech or first amendment issue. This is a public safety and quality of life issue. The city has no role in federal mitigation policy. Yet portlanders are suffering as if it does. The police have been constrained from enforcing basic ordinances and laws due to political pressures and one sided interpretation of the d.o.j. Agreement. It is particularly disturbing that extremist groups, self-identified members of antifa and the democratic socialists of America are engaging in dangerous behavior, including doxing unionized federal employees and the property owners by releasing their home addresses and phone numbers. Encouraging violence. These are tactics consistent with domestic terrorism, and yet there has been no meaningful response by the city. When ice closes in Portland office, the folks that will be most will be immigrants legally pursuing citizenship that now have to go to tacoma for processing. There are excellent articles by both street roots and Portland mercury highlighting what closures will have on the immigrant community. Once again, antifa is violent and illegal actions are causing law abiding taxpayers and businesses, which continue to hurt portland's economy and reputation. I'm calling on city council to take immediate action to enforce city of Portland noises. If we either we either enforce laws equally, or we admit we are no longer governed by the rule of law in the city of Portland. Thank you.
40 Thank you.
41 We'll go to I believe sean is next.
42 Lauren black, I hope you can hear me clearly. It is important you hear me. Us, those who are being stolen out of our and your neighborhoods. I'm not going to sit here and inundate you with facts about exactly how to dismantle the ice permit. We all know you know how to. What I'm here to do is appeal to your empathy, or rather, their lack of it, more so to those who are listening that may not agree with me and what I have to say next, but at least you're listening. Privilege stunt your growth, keeping you hindered in a bubble of ignorance, making you incapable of understanding the weight of the world others bear so you don't have to. It's a muffled image of reality. You can't hear the screams because you don't want to sacrifice your own peace. You're too far away to see the bloodshed and too emotionally stunted. You're too numb and too detached until it affects you. This is how he wants you to be. Your empathy has been stolen and disguised as protecting a lie that has been projected on you since birth. Why does it only apply to you? The so-called dream. Our community is what makes us human. I was taught that everyone has a chance here, yet I wasn't told who we were discussing with subjective. It is conditional and singular. I will not stand by and see my neighbors, family, friends, comrades being beaten, stolen and killed. There is privilege in being able to speak out about this and not have your livelihood destroyed. More people need to speak up, show up, demand change, and more people need to know that their immediate needs are met and will not be threatened. Need to show up. The humans that should be here speaking can't be for fear of retaliation. This is their ploy to make you believe there aren't enough of us to fight back, because you're not able to hear the silent screams. The ones who did speak out, the ones who did something with what able body they had or met with brutality and a silencer, not mutual empathy. They are still here, screaming for others to have empathy, to see each other more than a dollar sign or someone to beat. Portland is supposed to be a sanctuary city, a place the very least, people should be allowed to rest their tired souls and be met with empathy and resources. Because of your inability as a council to see those you swore to protect and your inability to dig your heels in and hold the line so that your community isn't continuously ripped away from each other's arms, is a sad excuse for what you call a sanctuary city. Do better.
43 Thank you, thank.
44 You jack. Now.
Procedural episode · turns 45–53
Parliamentary activity detected in this stretch (see the markers above). An editor-reviewed analysis has not been published for this episode yet.
45 Jack dickinson, thank you all for being here. Councilor Kanal and Morillo, I wanted to commend some of the questions that you asked during the last session. Councilor Morillo your point about pb resources being used to sweep medic tents raises a crucial point to that end. On the afternoon and evening of the 4th of July, the agents in the macadam facility conducted nine raids of protesters accompanied by copious levels of tear gas, pepper balls and flashbangs. During one of these waves, their munitions started a brush fire in a neighboring private lot. The only reason the fire was able to be contained was because of the water bottles protesters had ready, which were passed out from the encampment tent and donated by the community. One point that was stressed during the end of that last meeting was the need to engage in things very strategically, and I fully agree. If the macadam facility were to close, I recognize the legal avenue for preventing shipment to tacoma would lose a crucial window. I also recognize there are more knowledgeable and affected voices on this than mine, but what happened at macadam yesterday needs to be considered. For those unaware, the macadam facility was open for appointments for the first time in weeks. Yesterday, a small group of community members were monitoring the situation and counted 131 people going in and 115 coming out. Of those people who went inside, only three were lawyers. For those without legal representation. They were walking into a black box at 2:30 p.m, seven vehicles with fully tinted windows all left the facility and started driving north. Now that the facility is open, I encourage you all to come by some morning and examine what's happening there. I'll end today by posing a question of my own, since I found a lot of yours. Very helpful. If ice is in fact violating the conditional use parameters, are we comfortable ignoring that due to a strategic assessment of their response? In other words, is Portland willing to set the precedent that federal agencies can violate the law as long as they pose a big enough threat to our community?
46 Yeah.
47 Thank you. Thank you. Rebecca, will you please call the next three testifiers?
48 Next we have Jamie partridge, holly brown, and michelle da.
49 Go ahead. Okay. Good afternoon. Councilors I'm Jamie partridge. I'm a resident of northeast Portland. District two. What we've seen in los angeles, from the brutal sweeps to the community, resistance to the arrival of the national guard and marines may very well be coming to Portland. The big bad bill just signed into law by president trump includes a three fold increase in the ice budget, adding 10,000 agents everywhere. Our immigrant neighbors are being snatched, especially here, especially near courthouses, by masked agents without uniforms, badges or nameplates or unmarked vehicles. Municipalities have not yet figured out how to force these agents to be visibly ice, or to be subject to arrest, arrest by local police for assault, battery and kidnaping. But we've also seen whole neighborhoods rise up and turn ice away in la, with private tow trucks taking ice vehicles with city fire trucks and police cars used to block ice vans. Even the la mayor chased ice out of a park yesterday. Of course, we should try to find legal ways to legally prevent these objections. And maybe if our police treat these goons as unknown assailants, we could at least slow them down, give immigrants a chance to get help. We expect you to watch la and other cities where deportation defense is strong, and learn from their strategies and tactics while taking like taking security shifts at the federal courthouse. And certainly you can use your official communications bully pulpit. Get on the news advising our city workers, including police and all others who work outside to report suspected ice activity to the Portland immigrant rights coalition. Hotline (888) 622-1510 dispatches verifiers, legal observers and assistance as well as mobilizing protesters. There are more of us than there are of them. We just have to get organized and fight back.
50 Holly is next.
51 Holly is online. Holly.
52 Hello. My name is holly brown. I'm a constituent of district three and I'm with the coalition to revoke the ice permit. I am speaking today in favor of revoking the conditional use permit for the ice facility at 4310 south macadam avenue. We have been protesting at this location since the start of trump's term. And in that time, we have seen people line up out front due to emails received from ice, go in and not come out. We have seen busloads of people driven away to the northwest detention center in tacoma, where we know abuse is occurring. We have seen dhs attack protesters with chemical weapons and protective munitions, breaking bones and seriously injuring peaceful protesters. We have spoken with neighbors who live in the apartment across the street from the ice facility who are unable to go outside, scared for their children due to the attacks of dhs. We have seen repressive organizations like the fbi and border patrol in that facility. The ice facility is clearly a danger to all of Portland. The conditional use permit that was approved in 2011 requires that the facility does not pose a safety threat to the surrounding neighborhood and that it does not hold detainees for over 12 hours. Ice, by its own data, has violated both of these conditions. There's clear evidence that the permit has been violated. So I am asking city council, when are you going to enforce the law? Why is ice being allowed to abuse portlanders like this with no repercussions? The permit is the clearest way that city council has the power to get ice out of our community, to actually become a sanctuary city, and we are simply asking city council to enforce that law. If the argument is made that immigrants will be harmed by the facility closed, we need to consider that only 30% of immigrants in removal proceedings even have access to legal representation. While I am sympathetic to that argument, we have to consider the vast amount of harm that is caused by this facility being here. I was very disappointed when I sent emails to city council members asking for the permit to be revoked, and the answer I got from council member Koyama Lane was encouraging me to sign up to be a legal observer. To be clear, I'm involved in community organizing, but I found it troubling. The response was to ask me to do something, rather than for those in power to actually take action. I'm asking you to take action to stand up with Portland being a sanctuary city.
53 And thank.
54 You. To end the.
55 I'm going to move on to michelle. Thank you.
56 Hello. My name is michelle dar, and I'm here as a mother, a grandmother and a member of this community. I'm here because our values of sanctuary, justice and humanity are under siege. I'm not just here with an urgent request. I'm here to add my voice and my testimony to the countless others who are calling upon you to act in the face of this grave emergency. The permit for the ice facility on mcadam must be revoked, and it must be revoked. Now, it's no secret that ice operates as a rogue terrorist organization in broad daylight, with complete and total disregard for the constitution, bill of rights, rule of law, and portland's own sanctuary city rules. Ice thugs are engaging in the illegal kidnaping, detention, and trafficking of scores of immigrants and families, including children, when the community rises up to confront them in the form of protests that are witnessed throughout the nation, ice thugs respond by shooting, gassing, and poisoning those raising their voices in opposition to the rising threat they pose to everyone's safety. How can we allow such an affront to our humanity to exist in our community? This agency embodies terror and cruelty, and the recent surge in funding from congress only heightens the urgency of our situation. As ice stands poised to become the third largest military force on planet earth, Portland, and what we claim to stand for sanctuary is in the crosshairs. While they brazenly violate the very permits that grant them authority, permits that threaten the safety of our entire community and our most vulnerable immigrant neighbors. While we are on the subject of uncomfortable truths, our Portland police department is also playing an active role in further undermining our sanctuary city's code of conduct, their involvement in brutal crackdowns, and the use of chemical gases against protesters and the entire population of the south waterfront neighborhood populated by residents, children, assisted living facilities, schools, businesses and even OHSU cancer treatment center is poisoning the very air they breathe, the water they drink and the ground they walk on. These are not just injustices. These are atrocities. This is not a complicated decision. It is a moral imperative. It is a choice between standing up and doing what is right at your back, with your community, at your back, or making hollow, empty excuses while the tide swallows up what is left of the humanity in our sanctuary city. Thank you. There's a saying in spanish solo el pueblo salva el. Only the people.
57 Say thank you.
58 Revoke the permit.
59 Rebecca, would you please call the next three testifiers?
60 We have angela foster, chad thompson and ross taylor.
61 Good.
62 Chad is online.
63 Chad.
64 Chad thompson, you can go ahead.
65 Hi, I'm sarah thompson. I live in district four. So how does Portland go from the most livable city to economic doom loop? A few weeks ago, councilor Ryan asked if pdx was a socialism test site, and the answer is yes, per the Portland mercury article, dsa is planning aggressively to come after moderate city councilors while using the terms like fascist and center right to cast them as extremes, while all while city leaders allow antifa to terrorize the elderly and disabled residents of the south waterfront well into the night using a makeshift ld, using fireworks, destroying public private property, threatening residents and a host of other nuisances. As a child of a parent from a third world country that has actually experienced a military coup and civil war for 20 years, hearing American citizens use words as fascist and nazi show their complete ignorance of what these words mean, allowing riots to continue unabated for a month while using magical words and ignoring legal residents pleas for help, is both inflammatory and flat out dangerous. Having the police support the residents of the south waterfront is in no way assisting ice allow for peaceful protests, but follow the law and protect the residents of the south waterfront.
66 Thank you. I think ross taylor is next.
67 Hey, pass.
68 Angela foster.
69 Yeah. Hi. Sorry, I have my friend up here. I'm super nervous. I hate public speaking, but I always do it no matter what. So I'm here to speak about the private ice facility in our city and Oregon. State sanctuary city law or sanctuary laws. And Portland as a sanctuary city. Oregon sanctuary laws are designed to protect immigrant communities, but they fail to protect. They fail to define private facilities, operations, or their discretion. This facility, with the help of Portland, has explicitly found a way to operate within the bounds of state regulations by exploiting loopholes and gray areas in the law. It now also includes permit violations, specifically holding detainees for longer than 12 hours, which echoes previous warnings of even giving them the permit, and concerns about the facility's commitment to upholding human rights. Treating our community with dignity as an indigenous person who is connected to these lands, I've had personal and painful experience with the injustices that occur at this facility. I've been brutalized and arrested at that building. I came to city hall to do a press conference about the targeting of indigenous people at ice in 2021, but I want to emphasize that this issue also affects many communities. I hope one day I can be seen by you as an advocate for human rights, as I continue to fight against the continued genocide and colonization of indigenous people of this land. I used to be able to proudly say I was the first generation of my family to not be sent away to boarding school, but how much longer will that last? Sorry. As someone who has had the privilege of meeting some of you earlier this year while coordinating historical rallies, I'm reminded of the speeches that you gave and the commitment to justice and compassion that you gave. It's outrageous that the very people who have put their bodies on the line against trump's documented propagandist military since 2018 are now being scapegoated for the city's failure to close or even investigate the private ice facility. I have demands, but I don't have time to read them. But the residents have made it clear we don't want to stand idly by while our community is targeted and harassed, and I hope that we are not complicit in perpetuating a system that prioritizes profits over people.
70 Thank you.
71 Miss ross. Ross passed, I believe so, rebecca, will you call the next three people, please?
72 Minden o'connor, liz kay, sabatino. Starkey.
73 Go ahead.
74 Good afternoon. My name is liz and I live in district one here in so-called Portland. I am disturbed and dismayed that this glaring public safety issue in our city has not yet been firmly and expediently dealt with by this council. Immigrant and asylum seeking neighbors are having their sanctuary threatened at court, both inside and out on the streets as they are leaving their hearings. This activity has been ruled by a judge to be illegal, but who is holding the American gestapo accountable to that? In response to this public safety issue, our community has been nonviolently protesting outside of the ice facility on mcadam. And in answer to these protesters exercising their first amendment right to peacefully protest, dhs agents have been violently and excessively using weapons of war against them. Some of these weapons, such as the toxic gases, aren't even allowed to be used on our nation's alleged enemies. Dhs agents indiscriminately attack the public on public property, even injuring press and legal observers. They chase protesters down several blocks of public property. I need to emphasize not federal public property, not in their jurisdiction owned by the state, beating them and even bleeding them. So now, in addition to terrorizing and imprisoning our neighbors, dhs agents have been allowed by this city's government to extend their brutality against protesters for over a month now, I am asking the city council to show some teeth and defend our constitutional rights. As you swore an oath to do when you took office. I am asking you to hold these dhs agents accountable to their excessive use of force and violence upon our neighbors. Direct your city attorney to investigate contract violations for the macadam building. This needs to be your number one priority. Please relentlessly hold them accountable to every law they break. Direct your chief of police to uphold and enforce the sanctuary promise of our city. Make sure there is a protocol in place to respond to ice agents who refuse to prove their identity and not show a warrant. Most of all, use your platform. Please use your platform to ensure that everyone here in our city knows the resources available to them, including the perc hotline. If Portland truly is a sanctuary city, then you need to prove it. Please.
75 Please go ahead.
76 Good afternoon. My name is sabatino and I'm a resident of district four. It's crucial that our city do everything in its power to protect its undocumented residents. Moreover, as councilor Morillo has rightly noted, it's important that the city do so strategically, ensuring that its actions do not inadvertently harm those who it seeks to protect. When I first learned about the proposal to revoke the permit for the ice detention center in Portland, it seemed appealing as a tangible way to reject the presence of immigration authorities in our sanctuary city. Considering fox twelve's recent investigative piece detailing how operators may be violating permit conditions by holding detainees for longer than 12 hours, revocation increasingly seems like a necessary response. However, I am concerned about the potential consequences that this action may have for those who are being targeted by immigration authorities. Writing in street roots, jeremiah hayden noted that this facility serves as an initial point of contact between immigration lawyers and detainees. Their lawyers can connect with clients, advocate for their release, and begin fighting deportation proceedings. According to groups like perc and the Oregon aclu, it's less likely that this advocacy will be successful once detainees leave Portland and enter a facility like the nyp in tacoma. Although revoking the permit would stop an ice facility from operating in Portland, it would not stop ice agents from operating in Portland. Revoking the permit would not end deportation efforts in Portland, but rather only push them further from public view. Before making any decisions about the permit, I urge you to take a comprehensive look at all the possible repercussions and center the best interests of undocumented portlanders. To close, I briefly want to support councilor Connell's point from the last meeting about implementing an ordinance limiting the circumstances in which federal law enforcement can deploy cs gas against protesters. Thank you.
77 Thank you.
78 Ocon hear.
79 No. Next we have pedro anglada cordero. Ej wilson and nat gong.
80 Thanks. Well, people are coming up. I'm just going to say we're asking folks to stick to the two minutes, please. We're letting it go to couple seconds over if you're finishing a sentence, I thought, but I just wanted to flag that. Please go ahead.
81 My name is pedro anglada cordero, protected by the first amendment. The people's right to petition the government for redress of grievances is at stake in this fight. And so is the city of portland's opportunity to take action in support of the immigrant community, based on isis own detainment data, a recent report by esther kaplan revealed that ice violated human rights by detaining people for longer than 24 hours. That is, twice as long as is stipulated in the permit issued by the city of Portland in 2011. It is a fact that human rights abuses are taking place. The city council is responsible for ensuring that human rights are upheld through their own functioning, including building permits. The council is responsible for taking action when people organize and petition to get redress for grievances. But the council continues to ignore us. While immigrants and protesters are abused. Enough with the empty statements of support without action. Enough with the self-defeating and deceiving narratives that attempts to maintain the detention center open as a need to keep immigrants and asylum seekers safe, immigrants and asylum seekers deserve the dignity and of completing their obligations without the threat of holding cells. The human rights abuses outweighed everything else that may be taking place at the mcclymont building. The immigrant community will never be alone in this process, and I am fully confident that the community has what it takes to keep us safe, full stop, to the danger of using abolitionist talking points while advocating for keeping a detention building, operating the process of abolition and disrupting oppressive institutions will not be clinical or magical. Closing the detention building means closing ice headquarters in Portland. You must take action and call a vote. The people of the people of Portland, the immigrant community, deserve action from this council by voting in public and on the record on this matter. We demand a vote to revoke the permit and get ice out of Portland.
82 Thank you.
83 Hello. During. Should I just go? Okay. During the last city hall meeting and since we have heard city council's desire to avoid escalating tensions due to threats from the current administration, while I think the sentiment of wishing to avoid escalating tensions has rationality, fascism is inherently irrational. The trump admin, and by extension, ice, operates outside the law. They have been escalating regardless of pushback. And we they want us to act within the limits of their threats as they break our systems. And it's urgent. We do not. In June, cato reported 93% of those abducted had no criminal record whatsoever. A canadian citizen died in ice custody in June. 13 migrants have died since October. And keep in mind, migrant insiders report this number could be much higher due to inadequate, inadequate safeguards and record keeping. Ice went from no arrest quota to 1500 to 3000 people per day. In just four months, they've arrested and deported students for the practice of free speech, deported a two year old u.s. Citizen with no due process. Trump has urged the el salvador president to build five more prisons because, quote, homegrowns are next. They've threatened politicians orhan mamdani with deportation because he disagrees with ice. Within the last week, ice was given a $150 billion budget, making them the third largest funded military on earth, a budget larger than the marines. The trump regime is spending more money on ice than Israel spends on its military. Just the other day, they were talking about building more concentration camps like alligator alcatraz. They've been escalating. We are still on the lift hill of their roller coaster. We have to have the courage to hold the line before there is no line. I understand the logistical nightmare that will come if we revoke the ice permit, but we will not minimize suffering by allowing ice to operate within our city. Any solution proposed that allows ice to operate in the city is unacceptable. Thank you.
84 Thank you. Matt.
85 Hello. City councilors.
86 My name is matt gong and I'm a resident of district three. I want to talk about how and why I have been afraid to protest outside of the ice facility, as many of the people in this room have been doing for months. I have been waking up every morning hiding behind my phone screen, bearing witness to the inhumanity occurring all over the us, videos of families being cruelly dragged out of their houses by unmarked men in black clothing, videos of peaceful protesters being shot at by police, videos of entire neighborhoods being gassed out. It's terrifying to know that no matter how much you might study the constitution or the state laws, it will not protect you from the federal government's tyranny. Even if you abide by every law, the government will find a reason to condemn you or change the laws until they have one. And for a while I felt that being a chinese immigrant myself justified my want to hide to stay safe inside my apartment while others were being taken from theirs. The majority of my friends in Portland are white. Surely it would be easier for them to protest. But in the past month, the majority of my friends that have been protesting have not been white. So I realize it's my own fear keeping me at home, a fear that is justified to an extent, but simultaneously selfish. Because though I don't have the most privilege in this room, I still have the privilege to choose to stay safe at this time when there are countless families that do not. I've decided to begin protesting because there is no level of fear that should stop me from wanting to end the atrocities being committed by our government. This is a war on families. This is a war on children who have yet to even be born, because the government labels them as foreign. In other words, this is a genocide proven further by the opening of the concentration camp they are calling alligator alcatraz and the rise of other concentration camps. Portland benefits off of its reputation as a progressive city, a sanctuary city, a place that is safe for marginalized people to live and thrive. It's appalling for Portland to still claim this reputation while it works with the government to separate and murder families. Councilor. We must make ice leave Portland and stop terrorizing our people. We must refuse to work with the fascists and nazis and our government, and we must prioritize the safety of immigrants and other marginalized voices that make up our community. I've decided to stop being held back by my fear, and instead use it to do what I know is right. Councilors, you hold much more legal power than the protesters on the street do. What is your decision? Thank you.
87 Thank you.
88 Thank you. Rebecca, will you please call the next three?
89 Thank you.
90 Will be followed by kyle white and jeremy Smith.
91 Sorry, I gotta. Thank you. I talk into this. Okay. Good afternoon, council members. My name is madonna khan. I'm a mother, vietnamese interpreter and a student studying family and human services. I'm from Portland, Oregon. Born and raised. Portland is my home, and for most people, a home is a place of rest, of safety. But my home has become something very different. It's front row seat to injustice, to the violence of the system. I live directly across the street from the immigration customs enforcement building or ice. We're neighbors. The location is not just symbolic. For me, it's personal. This past month, I've seen protesters, peaceful protesters brutalized with tear gas for demanding dignity, truth and basic human rights. I've heard the canister of smoke grenades and felt the side effects of the chemicals and weapon poisoning. My neighborhood, and the residents are too terrified to speak out, speak up out of fear for being targeted. A fear I know too well because I myself have been targeted and continue to be for using my voice, my camera, my truths, and for refusing to stay silent.
92 Oh, mama.
93 So when I speak to you today about what a sanctuary city should be, I speak from experience, not theory. Ice does not make our community safer. It tears families apart. It targets the vulnerable and turns everyday people into suspects in their own neighborhood. A sanctuary city should be more than just a title that we pat ourselves on the back for.
94 Oh.
95 Am I done? Does that mean I'm done? Okay.
96 You still have 30s.
97 It should be a promise. A promise that immigrants and illegal, documented or not, can find safety and not only shelter, but a community. A promise that parents can go to work and return home without being profiled for existing. I promise your children will grow up without the trauma of watching loved ones being taken away, a promise that means police actually protect and serve the people. Where city resources and federal agency refuse and not use to surveil, detain or hand people to the same system that disappears them into the night. A promise where public safety means protecting all of our neighbors, where one shows up for its neighbor and stays clearly and without compromise. You belong here and we got you and genuinely protect each other, not profit off fear. A promise that can that you can finally breathe. A true sanctuary city is one where we offer a chance to heal, to rebuild, to dream. And it does so without hesitation and exception.
98 Thank you kyle.
99 Thank you. Thanks.
100 Hi, my.
101 Name is kyle white. I'm a resident of Portland and I'm here to ask that the city council pull the permit for the ice facility on macadam ave. Due to isis repeated violation of the permit and the existential threat they pose to the safety of the neighborhood, I don't believe that the arguments to keep it open outweigh the trauma and damage that facility has enabled. Normal immigration processes can be carried out in other buildings, as mentioned or on zoom, and many detainees are not connected to legal support before being transferred. We need to become an actual sanctuary city. A hands off approach is not enough. Despite current guidelines, ppd has steadfastly supported ice's operation, including posting no trespassing signs on public land, clearing the ice driveway of obstacles, breaking the bones of unarmed protesters and targeting protest sites with sweeps and failing to follow city protocol on sweep execution. Ppd needs to disengage from facilitating ice kidnapings in Portland. What Portland police ever help us clear our own driveways? No, but they support ice's efforts to raid our community for the sake of the officers and for the sake of the integrity of Portland police's role as protectors of the community. Concrete steps must be taken to get our officers on the right side of history. Portland needs to take a stand. We're already targeted for identifying as a sanctuary city. We may as well follow through. I can't promise a perfect solution or a pretty outcome. The national guard may come, but the people at the facility are mcadam are highly trained tactical units coming from a headquarters on an army base in el paso, texas. Portland is not going to back down and sacrifice our immigrant community out of fear of crackdown or reprisal. I call on city council to join the community and share this perspective. History is being made as we speak, and it is our duty and yours as our representatives, to step up and defend our people and the future we want to build. Federal agents are running down the street to arrest peaceful protesters, and seem to have already created six incidents requiring ambulances. This is not immigration enforcement. For the safety of our protesters in the entire city. We need ice out now. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your work.
102 Thank you. We'll go to jeremy Smith next.
103 Good afternoon.
104 My name.
105 Is jeremy Smith. Almost 200 years ago, my birth state of virginia was torn apart by our nation's deadliest conflict, the American civil war. I've seen the 60 foot tall statue of robert e lee riding on horseback in richmond. The countless memorials to confederate general stonewall jackson, and confederate soldier memorials scattered around the south, and the northern virginia battle flag, the one that most people in America think is the confederate flag, displayed proudly in people's yards, vehicles, and government buildings. The civil war never truly ended. And what is going on in our country right now is proof of that. This white supremacist agenda that has been at work since the inception of our nation. It simmers just under the surface, incessantly vying for control. There's an occupation happening in our city right now, and it is not the brave portlanders standing up for justice down at the south waterfront. It's the federal government infiltrating our city with tactical gear clad. Border patrol agents from texas. It is ice agents firing ammunition and tear gas at our people. It is masked, deputized correctional officers abducting our neighbors. We did not ask for these agents in our city. And we do not need them here. Their presence makes our city less safe. They are not protecting our community. They are destroying it. Why, then, does the Portland police bureau continue to aid them? On June 15th, PPB officer james deanda broke an activists arm. When our law enforcement physically abuses us. What are we left to believe about who they serve? If the Portland police bureau cared at all about the constitution, democracy, or the rule of law, they would be helping us throw sand in the gears of this fascist federal government wherever they can. The PPB should be focusing on the violent crimes being carried out by ice agents in our city, and helping us stop these unlawful deportations. If you're not a white supremacist, then why do their bidding? Our country is in a civil conflict, a continuation of a war that really never ended, only put to rest, to grow, to manifest itself into what we are seeing today. We need people in government willing to do more than just hold the line against the fascist federal government, when the federal government really comes to our city, who will protect us? You have to decide as counselors, as officers, as humans, will you help us or support this white supremacist agenda?
106 Thank you. Jeremy. Rebecca, will you please call the next three item?
107 Next up is amaya blanco. Chapin. Skyland wonders, and kathleen hannan.
108 Good afternoon. Councilors. My name is amaya blanco chapin, and I am here today to testify regarding Portland sanctuary city status and my lived experience on the subject. I come before you as a proud mexican American, a granddaughter of immigrants, a former immigration paralegal, a california native, and a city of Portland employee. I am here to speak up on the necessary role that city council must play in protecting its residents, and the urgency of meeting this moment. Right now, latino and immigrant communities are experiencing collective trauma and living in fear every single day. As a california native, I am closely watching what is taking place in my home state and wondering if Portland will be next. For anyone who hasn't been paying close attention to what is happening to our neighbors in california, the state with the largest immigrant population in the country is currently under military siege by this racist federal administration. There are groups of masked individuals driving an unmarked cars, carrying militarized weapons, and refusing to identify themselves while they violently abduct people off the streets. They show up to court dates, eager to arrest immigrants who are following the legal process, and every day they continue to escalate their assault on civilians to meet quotas. California is now fighting back, including drafting local legislation to protect its residents, but not before thousands of families have been broken apart and traumatized forever. The time to speak up is now. We must ensure that council is taking proactive measures before it is too late. There are three actions I believe city council should consider if they want to not only continue, but strengthen the important sanctuary city status. One the city should help facilitate know your rights in legal observer trainings in coordination with legal experts for the community. Two law enforcement officers should be barred from wearing masks while interacting with the public, and three if federal agents are not clearly identifiable while interacting with the public, local law enforcement should be instructed to verify the identity of the agents. These proposals are just the starting point because I know that we are capable of more. We, the citizens of Portland, deserve to feel safe in our communities and to have a city council that will fight to protect us.
109 Thank you.
110 Hello.
111 My name is skylyn.
112 Wonders and I am a resident of Portland, Oregon in district two. I am here today to urge the city council to revoke the permit for the ice facility on macadam, as congress has just passed a massive budget increase, it is critical that city council revoke the permit for this facility. As members of city council, it is your job to represent your constituents. Over 15,000, almost 16,000 people now have signed the petition to revoke the permit for the ice facility on macadam. The permit for this facility has requirements that ice must follow. Ice has violated these permit requirements multiple times. According to ice ice's own data, they have detained our community members longer than what the permit allows at least 28 times. The sanctuary city title needs to have action behind it to actually make Portland safer for our immigrant community members. Without action, this title is only performative. Not only has ice broken the permit agreements, they are also poisoning our community by choosing to use chemical weapons on protesters outside of the facility. They are brutalizing protesters in an attempt to squash dissent. These ice agents have concussed and knocked unconscious protesters many multiple times. Ice agents are escalating the violence every day. Ice agents are choosing to poison the community members who live across the street, as well as elementary schools in the neighborhood. The community community members in this neighborhood already have health issues, and ice is making their homes inhabitable. Ice out of Portland. Ice out of everywhere. Abolish ice.
113 Yeah. Thank you.
114 I'll just remind everyone that the transitions between folks is where we lose time sometimes. And that prevents the last folks from being able to testify. So, please, thank you for keeping your reactions visible and not audible. We'll go to kathleen hannan. Thanks.
115 My beloved Portland 12. I am kathleen hannan. Of course we provide sanctuary. Human beings have always migrated. Our country is a nation of immigrants, except for native Americans. We are a multiracial, multicultural and multi-faith democracy. It's what makes Portland and our country strong and rich. We are descendants from family members who migrated to America, pulling up roots, some coming against their will as enslaved persons. Many migrants face great challenges. Some are escaping terrible conditions and carry that trauma with them. Today, our federal government has set a quota of arresting 3000 immigrants per day. We are seeing masked men with guns picking people up from home depots and even at immigration hearings. We are building detention centers and deporting people to other countries without due process. Here are some facts about immigrants in sanctuary cities. Crime rates, including violent crime and property crimes, are lower in counties with sanctuary policies. Sanctuary policies increase public safety by increasing trust in local law enforcement, leaving local police to do their own work and not serve as immigration police. Immigrants boost our economic growth. They expand the labor force and increase consumer spending, putting their hard earned dollars back into our local economy and small businesses. Immigrants often take jobs that native born workers don't want or are not skilled to do. It means in areas like construction, agriculture, and health care, immigrants start their own businesses at higher rates than native born people. Driving innovation and expansion. And in spite of what you've heard, immigrants contribute billions in taxes federal, state and local, including medicare and social security, even though they don't receive those benefits. We must support and welcome all. All of my grandparents came here for work. My mom, born in scotland, spent three days on a boat to get here. My irish grandfather came over on the steamship the lusitania. They were lucky they were white and spoke english. Of course we provide sanctuary. We must.
Procedural episode · turns 116–124
Parliamentary activity detected in this stretch (see the markers above). An editor-reviewed analysis has not been published for this episode yet.
116 Thank you. Rebecca, would you please call the next three testifiers?
117 Next is matt levine. Charlie. Michelle. Wesley. Grace. Sobolofsky. Matt is online. You can go ahead.
118 Thank you. My name is matt levine, and I'm joining today from what is now known as north Portland, but is actually the nexus of rightful ancestral occupied lands of tualatin. Kalapuya peoples Multnomah peoples, cowlitz peoples, Clackamas peoples, and still more indigenous peoples of the lower columbia river. I think we should always make such land acknowledgments, but I think they're particularly important in the context of discussions about immigration and portland's sanctuary city status. Regardless of the details of past and present law, policy and practice, once we're actively recognizing that we are on stolen land, it should become obvious that absolutely no one ought to be illegal on stolen land. So the city of Portland is far away from where we need to be morally and in terms of justice. Of course, we're also currently wildly in conflict with our own policies as a city, as a sanctuary city. Portland has committed to protecting immigrant and refugee communities, in particular protecting them from the horrors of genocidal federal immigration enforcement. So as a sanctuary city, opb must immediately cease and desist all activities that allow ice to operate in Oregon, where they've increased immigration arrests by more than 300% in 2025. Furthermore, the city's core values of anti-racism and equity require that PPB in the city do everything in their power to stop allowing ice to target mexican communities, latinx communities, brown communities, which also means reevaluating the ice facility on south macadam, which has been a site of regular human rights violations that the city must lean into its core values of transparency and communication around the city's leaders must answer what does it mean to actually live? Being a sanctuary city committed to anti-racism, rather than just saying sanctuary city? When will brown lives and human rights matter to portlanders more than white property?
119 Thank you. I think charlie michelle wesley is next.
120 Hi. I'm council. I'm. I'm charlie michelle wesley, northwest tribal descendant with extensive, inequitable lived experience. And it is with a heavy heart that the banner of sanctuary city and claims of police accountability are false as too many recent city endorsed actions do not uphold that title, nor the safety and well-being of our immigrant community. The banner simply appears to be deceptively performative. We are witnessing unjust and unwarranted specific targeting, arrests, and violence by PPB in collaboration with federal agents. Without government transparency and accountability for actions at ice and elsewhere, unleashing maliciousness on our immigrants at courts, schools, workplaces, as well as bigoted acts towards our courageous activists, one of which recently suffered a broken arm during a violent arrest, and others who are simply trying to prevent the inhumane abductions and racist, racist driven deportations. Because we know this is not about criminal immigrants, that's propaganda. It's a repulsive racist action and an offense to human kind. The core city values and the city equity goals state we will strengthen public outreach for communities of color, the disabled, immigrants and refugee communities, and support or change existing services using racial equity in all areas of government. One of the six city strategies towards equity. When change is a priority, urgency is felt and urgency is key here. For communities of color, using a clear plan of action will allow accountability and transparency. Collectively, we must create greater urgency to achieve racial equity and inclusion. It's obvious and unfortunate that peaceful protests only work if the police and agents don't show up. And if all the city leaders have a conscience. Also, the absence of objection by the city allows the slide into fascism instead of dismantling it and prove we are, in fact, a sanctuary city with real police accountability and government accountability. Protect our immigrants, not xenophobic acts. Thank you.
121 Thank you.
122 Good afternoon. Members of the city council. Let me introduce myself. My name is grace borowski and I'm a resident of Portland for over 15 years. I work as a cna, trained in emergency medical first aid, and I'm a freelance photographer. We are here today to discuss an employee to revoke the permit for ice and to have them removed from the property on macadam. When I first came to Portland, I immediately felt at home. Not once did I ever have any level of fear living in Portland. However, with what I've both seen and experienced happen at the facility on macadam, I have really been questioning the idea of safety, fear, and community. My first day at ice was right after the no king's March. The stark contrast of the peaceful non-targeted March at the waterfront through downtown was the vastly different to the war zone nature that was happening at the facility. By the overzealous nature of the dhs agents. When I walked onto the scene, there were clouds of gases clouding the air, thick and choke inducing as people toting signs and exercising their first amendment rights were standing ground, unwavering to their convictions. Shots were sent out into the crowds of people chanting from dhs, both on the ground floor and from the roof, as a means of crowd control, to scatter and evoke fear into all those who were there. But despite it all, people still stood chanting, carrying signs, protecting their fellow members of the crowd with administering, sealing and other eyewashes to combat the burning from the constant stream of gases. The community protected each other, while dhs continued their campaign of terrorizing them. I have witnessed agents pushing members of the crowd, including elders who were there, to lend their support against the deportations with complete disregard to decency. The brutality of what protesters were subjected to at the hands of dhs was beyond appalling and extremely hard to describe in mere words, but that was only one day. There have been many more since every day that protesters have been at the ice facility. We have been shot at, gassed, attacked, taunted and to put it very clear in clear terms, brutalized merely for exercising our first amendment right and for standing up for our communities. We've been labeled as domestic terrorists, thugs, militants, and other grotesque mischaracterizations by alt right groups and propagandists and journalists, all to skirt around the topic at hand, which is the terrorization of our communities, which we will not stand for. The only power that I have to believe is that we can do better. Portland can do better for everyone, for everyone. We do not want you in our community.
123 Rebecca.
124 Will you please call the next three testifiers?
125 Michele. Da, maricela van sickle and mindy king?
126 I think michelle da was already called.
127 Apologies, maricela. You can go ahead. She's online. They're online. Okay. And a lance. Maricela, you can go ahead.
128 Thank you.
129 Good afternoon. Community member or members of the community. My name is marissa van sickle. I'm a parent of two students at the cottonwood school of civics and science, and I'm also the chair of the board. I'm a resident of district four. I'm here to ask you to take immediate and concrete action today to protect our students and staff, which, as you know, is located next to the ice facility. It's my personal opinion that you should revoke the permit. However, I'm here today to speak to the damage to our campus perpetuated by ice. This is not the first time that the school has been impacted by the use of chemical weapons deployed near or on our campus. This is not normal, and it should. It is not acceptable. And you have the power, the duty and the responsibility to intervene. I'm calling on this committee to publicly commit to covering the comprehensive soil testing and biohazard cleanup at no cost to our school, for our play yard, our garden, and the surrounding neighborhood. We've been told prior that this would happen in years and incidents past, but yet the cost has been solely on the school. This is the definition of commitment to public health and public safety. As a result of these repeated incidents, the board has announced that we are actively seeking an alternative location to hold school this fall. There is real fear and uncertainty about how we can safely return to our campus. Even with testing in place and serve our students, some of which are immigrants and refugees, and while we serve public school families and we're a tuition free public school, we're not part of Portland public schools, and we do not have access to Portland public funding or resources. And that's why we're turning to you. We need your help. We've reached out to district four city council members, but have not yet received a response regarding scheduling a meeting. We're urging the city council, particularly district four representative, to meet us, meet with us as soon as possible, and to ask for your help in expediting permitting for any necessary moves or repairs. It's also my understanding that the city violated their own compliance regulations by approving the school and ice next door to each other, and others next door to each other, and the burden of that resolution is on the city to resolve that. We need more than thoughts and commitments right now. Our children deserve a safe place to learn. Our staff deserve a safe place to teach, and we need your help. Thank you for your time and consideration.
130 Thank you. We'll go on to mindy next.
131 Good afternoon, council members. My name is mindy king, and I'm here today as a mother and a neighbor. I'm speaking on behalf of families, students and staff who live and learn near the ice facility on bancroft. I'm going to start with our demands because I want to make sure they are heard. We demand one an immediate end to the use of chemical weapons near our school, and a full commitment to clean up an environmental testing to ensure our campus remains safe. Number two, we demand a guarantee of safe and healthy learning environment supported by the use of PPB, the Portland police bureau, to protect our vulnerable community free from violence, toxins and fear for our students and staff and community members. And finally, a commitment to a more humane and just immigration system, one that recognizes dignity, humanity, and the rights of every person, regardless of status. We should not have to choose between educating our children and protecting them from harm. Our community deserves better and our kids deserve peace. Ice has repeatedly used excessive force in our neighborhood, deploying tear gas near our children's school on July 4th. They released an extremely heavy amount of tear gas. It looked like it was foggy outside. I lived directly across from the school and across from the ice facility and it was terrifying. I have a 13 year old son who goes to that school. He has year after year. Each time the trump administration has been here and there has been protests because of the abhorrent immigration policies, we have struggled as a community to have trust that Portland police and the you as council members will protect our communities.
132 Thank you.
133 Excuse me. Thank you for your time today, rebecca.
134 I think you wanted to call the next.
135 Three.
136 A lance. Adrian cregan, k k and alexander brown.
137 Thank you for being here. Please go ahead.
138 Okay.
139 Good afternoon to the council and fellow residents of Portland. I've learned a lot from hearing all your words. My name is adrian cringan. I am a resident of district three. I'm here today to voice my emphatic support of Portland, remaining a sanctuary city and revoking the permit for the ice facility. I am a parent of two one student in college and one in high school. I'm also a reading tutor and I support young readers in public schools. When I have students absent for multiple days or weeks at a time, I often worry is it because their parents are afraid to bring them to school and pick them up after after at the end of the day? No child, no family in Portland should live with that kind of fear. I have had to talk with my colleagues about what we would do if ice were to come to our school. No child should have to live with that kind of fear. So with that, I would say what I would say to my students when they're struggling to understand something we read for meaning. We go to sources, we look for definitions. Webster's says the definition of tyranny is a government in which absolute power is vested in a single person or ruler. A rigorous condition imposed by some outside agency or force. An oppressive, harsh or unjust act. What we're witnessing in America today are these exact definitions of tyranny. The 14th amendment. Another source I'll cite today. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the united states, nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Thank you.
140 Go ahead. On your right or.
141 Okay.
142 Hello, my name is alexander brown and I'm a resident of district four. Councilors, I urge you to do everything in your power to prevent ice's illegal actions in our community. Any amount of cooperation, including cooperation through inaction, is unacceptable. When ice agents are unlawfully detaining our neighbors without due process and tearing apart families and communities. Furthermore, at the ice facility, federal immigration authorities have used dangerous chemical weapons like hexachloroethane and unnecessary force against peaceful protesters. This is racism and fascism and it does not have a place in Portland. In order to be a sanctuary city, Portland must not cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The Portland police are not acting in accordance with Portland sanctuary city status by allowing ice's actions. Instead of focusing on protecting the immigrants who are an intrinsic part of our community. Ppb is allowing federal immigration authorities to kidnap our neighbors and to violate our constitutional rights to due process and to peaceful protest. Hold the Portland police accountable for the damage they have caused and enabling, and therefore participating in ice's violence and illegal actions against our community. Protecting immigrants in this city will create a better community for all of us. Immigrants deserve to be here, and they deserve to be kept safe by you. Thank you.
143 Thank you. Please go ahead.
144 Testifying under the initials kkk today. Good afternoon. Councilors. As a social worker and a person who has been active in the demonstrations against ice, I want to present some important considerations in response to protesters fortified primarily with athletic equipment and megaphones. Ice agents have been using military grade munitions, including highly carcinogenic chemical agents. I have witnessed several community members being beaten into unconsciousness, dragged inside their facility, and then hospitalized. On Sunday, they forcibly entered someone's apartment in order to make an arrest with no warrant. This state sanctioned and delivered violence replicates toxic patterns of xenophobia, dehumanization, and the use of force to repress. Here you have an opportunity to seek ways to break this cycle. Most people rely on the social contract to provide order, security and normalcy. As ice agents continue to escalate their kidnapings and their response to demonstrations, this violence becomes a part of the contract. Whether exposed by personal experience or over the news. Our community is learning that brutality and violation is a legitimate response to conflict. We citizens are being exposed to tactics that are internationally recognized as being unsuitable for the use in conflict, as ice seeks to psychologically deter us from expressing our dissent through the use of fear. I urge you to look beyond the narrative that antifa is the source of the problem, that our outrage is the true terrorism. According to the national center for post-traumatic stress disorder, there is a type of traumatic response known as moral injury, occurring when one is unable to prevent or is forced to witness or participate in acts that go against their moral code. This is the imperative that draws many of us to demonstrate. We feel it is necessary to take action against this corrupted use of power to protect ourselves and our community. We find this imperative to be so strong that we continue to show up in the face of the risk of injury, torture, and death. There is no simple solution, but these are the factors you must keep in mind when considering what it means to be a sanctuary city, and how you want portlanders to face conflict. Please lead with curiosity, compassion, and care for your constituents and provide us with a model of the future that actually nurtures healthy interpersonal relations and abandons force as a method of control. Thank you.
145 Thank you.
146 Is lance here? Rebecca, will you please call the next three testifiers?
147 Matthew o'connell, kimberly kimble, dana. Floyd matthews. Online. You can go ahead.
148 Awesome. All right. Well. Thank you. Greetings, councilors and community members. I'm a lifelong resident of east Multnomah county, where 33 to 51% of our neighbors are non-english speakers. I'm a social worker and currently a mental health therapist at Gresham elementary, and I've had the honor to work with incredible immigrant and refugee families. And today, I want to lift up their stories to kind of really talk about what it means to be a sanctuary city. The presence of ice in Portland creates a traumatic ripple effect, undermining the safety this council has been entrusted to provide. And I want you to see the faces that I've seen in the work that I've done with this community. One of the faces I've seen was a syrian father who threw himself over his children as bombs rained down, shielding them from rubble. He was forced to flee and now lives as a refugee in Portland, Oregon, and lives in paralyzing fear. Not because of the bombs going off now, but because of ice in his community. This June, ice had abducted four other people who are seeking asylum following the process that we've set before them people fleeing horrors like the syrian family I just mentioned. I've watched residents in east Multnomah county hide their faces in terror just crossing the street. I've held families if they broken down, terrified by every noise, fearing an ice abduction. These aren't just neighbors. They're pillars of our community and 50% of our community will use Multnomah county. They pay taxes, contribute deeply, and they're human beings that deserve safety and security. The syrian family embodies refugee resilience. Only 1% of refugees born in camps ever resettle. They come here seeking safety from horrors, including unrest that we've contributed to abroad. When families surviving bombs live in terror, here, when parents cover their children facing or crossing our streets, when asylum seekers are legally abducted. It has a devastating human cost. Sanctuary status isn't just words, it's a lifeline. Ensuring safety. To find the peace that they fled rubble for, Portland must remain a sanctuary city for the up to 50% east Multnomah county who are being indiscriminately targeted by ice. Thank you.
149 Thank you. Kimberly, I believe, is next.
150 My name is kimberly and I'm a resident of district four. I'm a parent to three kids, two of which go to school in the neighborhood near the ice facility. I'm also a documentary photographer who's been documenting the ice protests since the beginning of June. I have with me today some of my images from the last month of protesting, which I'll share with you while I read some reflections in order to truly be a sanctuary city, I believe city leaders must strongly reject the violent, state sanctioned fascist takeover happening at 4310 south macadam. Revoke the permit. Ice has no place in our city. July 4th, 2025. It's hard to sum up this night in words. Most of my images are of clouds of gas and chaos. Some things I witnessed fed nazis raising the American flag to show dominance. A brutal, targeted arrest requiring emergency medical attention. A huge show of force on the ground with no restraint. Continuously shooting munitions at protesters. Relentless munitions of all kinds raining down from the roof. Several types of gases deployed into the air. Police chasing protesters down the road to arrest a few small fires ignited by gas canisters. June 18th, 2025 protesters wielding colorful signs, megaphones and their words, and some in costumes, chanting chinga la migra, making their demands clear. Taking up space in the driveway of the Portland ice building while dhs agents used bombs and less than lethal to clear the driveway for vehicles to come in and out, violently detaining several protesters and pushing somebody with balloons just for fun. A mom reads a book in a chair while being gassed in broad daylight. I watched some dhs agents fist bump each other and line formation before coming out. When the sun sets like clockwork, dhs and PPB riot, unleashing violence and toxic chemicals on protesters in an entire residential neighborhood in a huge show of force. There are riots and violence happening at these protests, but let's be clear about who is inciting it. Abolish ice.
151 Thank you. I believe dana is next.
152 Dana is online. You can go ahead.
153 Hi. The other speakers today have made strong moral arguments about why I should be removed from the city of Portland and have shared testimony about the brutality that they have endured from this institution, which is terrorizing our city. And they're right. But I've heard council member Morillo lament in the press that, quote, we can't just revoke it because it morally feels good. So I'm here to make the argument that there are bureaucratic avenues to cancel this permit. And therefore, revoking this permit is a matter of the political will and morality of this council. First, a clarification point for this council in my community listening in, there are two permits in 2010 land use decision, which allowed for the ice offices and initially denied the detention portion of this facility and in 2011 appellant conditional use permit, which allows them to detain people in black box holding cells without due process. I urge this council to see that it is. It is an obvious, urgent and necessary as a first step towards getting ice out of Portland, that they revoke this 2011 permit and disallow ice from having the space within their building that allows them to kidnap, terrorize and brutalize our community with ease and efficiency is disappointing to hear arguments that keeping ice's ability to jail immigrants is in any way beneficial to immigrant communities, so these bureaucratic avenues to revoke the permit, you can revoke the 2011 conditional use permit on the grounds that ice is not meeting the requirements set forth in that permit to detain, to detain no more than 15 people a day, and that no detainee shall be held for more than 12 hours. Ice's own data shows that this has been violated 24 times in the past six months alone. It's an escalation that shows no sign of stopping. The 2011 permit was issued based on police, dhs and ice testimony that their presence, quote, does not pose an unreasonable safety risk to nearby uses and residents. It is clear that they have deployed chemical weapons at this ice facility, which means that the adjacent apartment buildings and elementary school are coated in pepper balls and cs gas. I ask the council, do you think that that's a reasonable safety risk? So to circle back to my original point, there are ways within the bureaucracy of zoning laws to make the argument that this council has grounds to revoke this permit. It's a matter. Thank you. It's a matter of political.
154 Thank you. Rebecca, will you please call the next three testifiers?
155 Next.
156 Next up is john h. Allison mosley and bryce supernaut.
157 Go ahead. Yes.
158 Thank you. My name is allison mosley. I live on the outskirts of district four, and I'm the daughter of natives and immigrants. The pictures of my great grandparents are not photos, but tapestries woven by the hands of the navajo people. My grandmother was a first generation irish American. My grandfather was a descendant of the cherokee nation, born in texas in 1919. By 1929, he had to drop out of sixth grade due to an economic fallout known as the great depression. He worked at 11 years old on the fields of california as a farm laborer, making $2.57 per day for a little over $75 per month. My white grandfather worked a job that no modern day white American would even consider taking in today's times. Soon, the effects of the big beautiful bill are going to be felt across the nation by immigrants and citizens alike. And make no mistake, there will be food shortages soon. As a registered voter, I did not give permission for democracy to change. I refuse to be part of an autocracy, a monarchy or an oligarchy. I refuse to be a part of a nation that ignores the voices of its people. Stop listening to the money. Stop listening to the political parties. Listen to the people. I demand that it be made unlawful for ice agents to appear and identify anonymously. It is the law that I carry a state approved form of identification. It is the law that a police officer be clearly identifiable in both name and occupation. An ice agent should be held to the same laws and regulations as the rest of us. It is not okay that a woman or man be outright abducted without due process. At the very least, we as a nation owe it to any individual to properly identify why a detainment or arrest is taking place and who is making the arrest. We have a name for people in other countries that wear masks and wage war. We call them terrorists in other countries, but here we call them government. Take off your blindfolds and open your eyes to the reality that you, sitting there in your appointed seats, are subjecting the rest of us to on the streets, unmasked ice.
159 Thank you. Go to john next.
160 My name is john.
161 I want to reiterate that I think that there's no room for law enforcement to be wearing masks and not identifying themselves. If they don't like being known who they are, they can quit their jobs. Our sanctuary city policy does not go far enough. We must stop working with ice and even department of homeland security more broadly. Specifically, under this current administration, ice special response team, border patrol, known as bortac, their tactical team and all are functioning similarly. Similarly, in their efforts to suppress political activity, violate human and civil rights, and use violence against those opposed them in a way that is blatantly criminal, the federal government is obviously not going to do anything, but they are doing this in our city and with the help of the Portland police, we need to stop this, or at least stop working with them. Meaning the Portland police, ice, dhs, bortac from mostly other states. Mind, you have pulled guns on protesters who are no threat to them, have gone into people's houses without warrants. They've arrested many using extreme violence, including hospitalizing protesters, only to release protesters with no charges or release them with tickets equivalent to jaywalking. They've gassed the whole neighborhood, contaminating everything around them, including the school next door. This is mostly just because protesters are standing in the ice driveway, which is public property. Federal property. Sure, you might lack authority to address crimes committed by federal law enforcement, but the Portland police are complicit. They escorted ice vans into the building, clearing the driveway for them multiple times, including a second time the day after. Chief day said that they wouldn't do it again using ps3's, they went out of their way to try and take a single tent that was there for the protest. They would have not messed with that if it wasn't a protest against ice. They broken our protesters arm. Officer james deanda, to be specific. They arrested a protester for being on the bike path and charged them with trespass. There's a reason why the da dropped that charge, because that's a lawsuit waiting to happen. Pbot needs to be investigated for this, too, for there's no legal authority to close the bike path. Thank you. Just a way to suppress free speech. Portland police.
162 Thank you. We'll go on to bryce next.
163 Bryce. Sue brennan. Joy. Wilson. Michelle, paulette backus and karen cherry.
164 Let's go ahead.
165 I don't know if I'm the next in order, but. My name is joy wilson. She her pronouns. I'm a proud Portland resident in northeast district two. I'm also a card carrying member of antifa. Aren't we all anti-fascist? I'm personally, ethically and passionately opposed to ice. I understand that feelings can get in the way of bureaucratic procedures, so I'll be doing my best to behave and refrain from f-bombs in this moment. I am mad at ice, not you. But if you choose not to take action, I promise I'll be directing that anger to you going forward. I have myriad reasons for my hatred of ice, but I will focus only on actionable items in this committee's jurisdiction. I know this committee doesn't handle land use decisions directly, but I also know public safety depends on public trust, and that trust breaks down when laws are selectively enforced. The ice facilities conditional use permit is clear. No overnight detentions, no holding people for more than 12 hours. Yet we've seen at least 28 documented violations since 2007. Excuse me 2017. These are not isolated incidents. They are repeated, ongoing and clearly in violation of the permit. And this is not about political feelings. This is about rules. And when zoning violations this blatant go unaddressed, it becomes a public safety issue, especially for the families, seniors and children who live, learn and play next door. I'm sick of inhaling toxic tear gas chemicals while peacefully protesting. I have planned to live to 140 and I would like to keep that possible. My 80 year old mother with a debilitating asthma who lives just blocks away, can't leave her home because the constant toxic dust kicking up there is precedent for action. In 2022, Multnomah county initiated a type three review of a utility site. Have the case number if you would like it for reference, and the city followed its own process. That case took 16 months from start to finish, but it only started once city staff were directed to investigate. The clock only starts once the city formally initiates a conditional use revocation review. Until then, activists and community members and I will continue to be a thorn in the city council's, the city council and the mayor's side. So here's my ask. I know this committee can't open a land use case, but you can recommend that the city council and staff do so. You can push for coordination between public safety and zoning enforcement. You can insist that Portland sanctuary values mean something, and not just in policy, but in practice.
166 Thank you.
167 On to michelle. Paulette.
168 Hello, my name is michelle. Paulette. Third district. This is not the poem at the foundation of the statue of liberty. Say, give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free, your wretched refuse teeming your shore. Send these the homeless tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door. Do we mean it? Or should we send the statue of liberty back to france. Until we've earned the right to display it without hypocrisy? Also, as has been said, first they came for the socialists. I did not speak out because I was not a socialist, and they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. And then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me. These are a few reasons I protest ice, because first they're coming for the immigrants. But we would be fools to think that it will stop there. We would all be fools to think that alligator auschwitz will be the last concentration camp. And these are the stakes. We are told that Portland is a sanctuary city at pbb, constantly works in cahoots with ice. They are trampling our first amendment right to peacefully assemble and gather by constantly sweeping the places that we assemble and gather. This is a clear suppression of free speech and a clear attempt to criminalize our right to protest. And this needs to stop. They're posting that we're in illegal camp abusing those laws to disrupt our first amendment rights. Not only do they post the area that we're in, but they go ahead and post anywhere even remotely close to the building that we're protesting right now. Try to find a place that isn't posted within a six block radius of the ice building. And in case you haven't noticed, it's getting pretty hot outside. The sun has been blasting down on people. We need to make sure that they have shelter from the sun, food, water, and protection against the many forms of state violence that are being implemented against us. We are told that this is a sanctuary city, yet ice and dhs are running roughshod over everyone's rights. They are illegally searching private property without warrants. They are gassing entire neighborhoods with chemical agents that would be prohibited under the geneva convention as an act of war and using those against civilian populations, they're poisoning school grounds. And those who had the misfortune of having their kids bedroom window open. What are we going to do to provide actual sanctuary? What are we going to do to stop the violence perpetuated by ice and dhs? What are you going to do to stop pbb from crushing our right to assemble with these relentless sweeps? Which side are you on? Which side are.
169 We'll go on to.
170 Karen next.
171 Karen. Tyree, lex cirillo, kirsten, a frederickson, and glenna hayes. Glenna was joining online. Glenna, you can go ahead.
172 Hi. My name is glenna hayes. I have no eloquent words for you today. I feel like if you cannot see and understand the fear and pain of our community, I don't know how to get your humanity to step up, listen, let alone act. My community is broad, but I'd like to talk about specifically the impacts I'm seeing on families, and especially folks with disabilities who rely on services in Oregon. No amount of safety planning, which the state requires us to do, will protect community members from ice. Schools are having a lockdown, so ice doesn't snatch children. I'm planning for people who only support might be a family member who could be targeted by ice. What are we going to do with the families we have that are left broken? What will we do with the people? Ice have broken and left here with no support. We see this as just one issue. It's bigger than one issue. We, our community members, us will be left picking up the pieces for decades from the brutality, ice, pbb and other police enforcement while you wipe your hands and walk away free. The amount of grief I see and hold daily for my community should let alone be enough for you to do something. I do not understand why we need horror stories being relived in order to hear. When people say we need change, why are horror stories, deaths and piles of bodies needed for you to act? We are not a sanctuary city while ice can operate here, because what type of sanctuary is it when we allow violence to run rampant? I'm done.
173 Thank you. Glenna, I think we'll go on to kirsten next.
174 Yes.
175 Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is kirsten frederickson and I live in district three. I've lived in Portland for nearly seven years, and I've been protesting ice since its founding in 2003. I lived in new york for almost 40 years. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by people from every country on the planet. I've experienced amazing art, music, literature, food stories, and celebrations of so many different cultures. This should be the goal of all cities, and any attempt to destroy this is unacceptable. Ice should not just lose its permit, it should be abolished completely. They tear apart families, they kidnap and trafficked people. There's no due process in the detention centers. People are being tortured. They're denied food, water and medical treatment. People are dying. And immigrants, whether lawful permanent permanent residents, naturalized citizens, international students, tourists, temporary workers, refugees or undocumented people are all being treated like terrorists. I've been protesting at the ice facility on macadam, and I am horrified by the violent and reckless behavior of the federal agents. Their response to peaceful, lawful protest is to declare a riot just to unleash weapons on us. I've seen them aim guns at people's heads, shoot down from the rooftop and fire round after round without pause. I personally have four rubber bullet bruises on my waist lined up in a row. The shots came so fast I thought it was just one. Earlier that same night, I was holding my phone in front of my face when I watched an agent aim directly at my head and fire. The bullet grazed my finger. I've seen photos of people shot in the head. I've watched agents beat the out of people. I've watched them throw flashbangs and gas canisters directly at us. On the fourth, they threw a gas canister at the face of a protester in a wheelchair. It exploded on impact. That is horrifying and inexcusable. If this is how ice treats unarmed protesters in public when they know they are being filmed, how do they treat people they arrest and detain and deport? Let's be honest, this isn't about safety. This isn't about law and order.
176 Thank you.
177 This is a state sanctioned terror race.
178 Thank you. Go on.
179 To lex.
180 Good afternoon.
181 Council members. And community members. My name is lex cirillo.
182 And it is my.
183 First time testifying, so I'm kind.
184 Of nervous.
185 That'll probably come through in my voice. I, alongside many.
186 People who I.
187 Am now lucky enough to.
188 Consider friends, have been peacefully protesting outside of the ice detention center in. Portland for more than two weeks. We are expressing our outrage with the actions ice to kidnap people off the streets for detention and deportation with no due process, which creates a state of terrorism against anyone who appears that they may or may not be a citizen.
189 Not to mention the. Multiple instances.
190 Of violence used against protesters and community and the general population of the community, which creates a state of terrorism for everybody else.
191 Our protests.
192 May be loud, but are in no way violent, but the but the ice agents are. During these protests, I have both witnessed and been subjected to the violence at the to violence at the hands of ice, homeland security and Portland police officers. I've been personally attacked and detained by these agents using excessive force without cause. They they have ripped shields from people they have.
193 They have.
194 Placed weapons in our hands and detained us for them. I. We have been we have been subjected to pepper balls and tear gas, which they just leave as garbage all around the ice.
195 Facility, making.
196 It impossible for residents to breathe. And just as we have heard, exist in their community, I have heard them use long range acoustics, acoustic acoustic devices or lrads, which are illegal in many countries because of their literal deafening effects. I have had guns pointed at me and me and my friends, and we have been shot at with, with with rubber bullets and pepper and pepper balls. I have seen them arrest and beat people without cause. Every single time that I'm there and I'm not there every day. And they do that and they continue to do this every single time, every day. And you had the power to stop it. Please do.
197 Thank you, thank you.
198 Call the next three.
199 Our final four registrants are alex tash, daniel kaufman, m b, and Eric domenghini.
200 Was time. Okay?
201 All right.
202 Hello.
203 I'm me.
204 And I'm giving testimony today regarding one Portland sanctuary city status and two public support of revoking the.
205 Permit for.
206 The facility on macadam. Macadam facility has and continues to violate the conditional use permit granted by council in 2011. A prime example of such violations is the holding of detainees over the permit's explicit 12 hour limit, making it subject to permit revocation. Not only is the ice facility breaching the permit, but the mere presence of ice and dhs in Portland is a threat to all, but especially especially our immigrant and asylum seeking community members. For the past month, we've witnessed trump's gestapo snatch people off the street, shackled them up, and send them to state sanctioned concentration camps such as the northwest detention center, a place on which his own has committed an exuberant amount of human rights violations. For the past month, we have witnessed the violence perpetuated by ice and dsh. Dhs agents such as shooting protesters. Wait, hold on. For the past month, we have witnessed the violence perpetuated by ice, and dhs agents grow frighteningly more aggressive with the attacks, with attacks such as shooting protesters in the face with pepper balls, firing a variety of lethal munitions into crowds, aiming live guns at people and breaking bones. For the past month, we witnessed ice. Dhs and affiliates saturate the south waterfront neighborhood in banned toxic chemicals, harming the health of everyone in the area, including the local wildlife, water and flora. And within the next month, maybe even days, we will probably witness ice and dhs agents kill someone, be it by sending them to a death camp, be it with a gun, be it with poisonous chemicals. Can't you see? No one is safe as long as ice is in our communities. And no one should live, and no one should go about their day. And gut wrenching anxiety thinking, is today the day I get the call? You know the one. Yet this is the reality that I and other mexican community members live with every day. I'm asking you guys to do something to revoke the permit.
207 We're doing really well with the with the audible and visual visual reactions. So let's just a little longer on that one. I think we'll go on to I don't remember who's next. Sorry.
208 Daniel kaufman is online. Daniel.
209 Hello. Thank you for taking my testimony today.
210 I we have heard a lot about from from folks about the specifics here in Portland. I want to talk about the bigger picture and how does Portland resist? And specifically, how does.
211 The.
212 Portland city council resist? What is going on? The big picture the united states is involved in a genocide in gaza. The united states is sending people illegally to death camps in el salvador. Alligator, auschwitz or alcatraz or whatever the heck you want to call it has now been created. They are they have the money now, the infusion of huge amounts of billions of dollars, equivalent to 20% of the military budget. The entire military budget is now going to ice to create camps. What do we think that is really going to happen? What do where are we headed? Where are we already? Now look at gaza. Look at the fact that people do not come out of the camps in el salvador, except under extreme circumstances. What is being created is not something to send. It's this is not about people who are criminals who come from other countries. This is not even about the borders themselves. What they are doing is creating camps for people so that they they can become slaves. Basically. What will the Portland city council do to resist this? Or will we just let the federal government create these kind of conditions in Portland, Oregon, and in our nation? It is time to stop this now, I beg you, I demand that you do something now.
213 Thank you.
214 Daniel, I think next is alex.
215 Okay.
216 So Portland claims to. Be a.
217 Sanctuary city.
218 But I think.
219 We.
220 All see that that is.
221 Not accurate.
222 In any form we have. I personally have seen.
223 Ice and. Portland police.
224 Working with them engage in. Brutality numerous times. I have been tear gassed more times than I can count. I have been shot with.
225 Rubber.
226 Bullets and pepper balls. I have witnessed. Bortac agents beat.
227 Someone so bad. There was a pool of blood on the sidewalk.
228 And they could not walk, so they had to be carried into the ice facility. An ambulance. Was called. I saw someone get tased when.
229 They. Were running away from a tear.
230 Gas cloud, and then.
231 They were. Tased at least once more.
232 I've heard.
233 Three.
234 Times we have seen the public safety hazard that ice causes. We have seen them. I personally have seen them start numerous brush fires. From. Throwing tear.
235 Gas. Canisters into without any discrimination, launching them. One of them hit a.
236 Nurse in the.
237 Face, splitting open his face and.
238 Damaging his eye.
239 We have seen we have seen such brutality. And it's all preventable. The it's a conditional use permit. They broke the conditions for the permit. They have been detaining. People for more than 12.
240 Hours.
241 And it's a danger to everyone nearby. We have heard three people living.
242 And working. Nearby talking.
243 About how it has.
244 Personally affected them.
245 They worry about leaving their building and.
246 The people.
247 Living there. They are not afraid of us. The protesters demanding a sanctuary city, a sanctuary city. They are afraid of the ice agents. Thank you.
248 Thank you alex, and we'll go to Eric.
249 Hello, my.
250 Name is Eric. I'm a resident of district one.
251 I'm here to testify.
252 In support of portland's sanctuary city status. The current administration. Is weaponizing ice as a secret police with no oversight or accountability for its actions. They are indiscriminately targeting our marginalized and most vulnerable communities across the state and city. I want to be very clear here. Ice agents are the ones breaking laws in Oregon, not the people they abduct. Many of these people are being taken from federal buildings right across the street, while they are attempting to comply with mandated court appearances. We have a duty and a responsibility to stand against this authoritarian overreach of our rights, and we are not doing enough. Our community should not have to live in fear of walking the streets, going to work, or even being in a home depot parking lot and being abducted. I am angered and ashamed that the Portland police involvement and support of ice in our city, ice is moving around our communities, masks without badges in clear violations of numerous federal and state laws. There should be no cooperation between ice and the Portland police. Police presence at the ice and their cooperation with ice against protesters and legal observers trying to obtain justice for those being abducted is appalling. We should. Portland police should should be protecting our citizens from these masked thugs, not the other way around. Additionally, we should all be concerned and vigilant against ice and uphold the values and laws of oregon's sanctuary status. When human rights are selectively applied, there are no rights for anyone. People over property and end state violence. Thank you.
253 That concludes testimony.
254 I'm just.
255 Going to give a last call to a lance bryce or karen shearer. Okay. Thank you everyone. We're going to often when we've done these public hearings, we just kind of adjourn. And I think that's often inappropriate. You've many of you have been here this entire time. And I want you to understand that we want to react and we actually have a few minutes for it. And so I'm going to give each of the members of this committee the opportunity to kind of speak for a minute and just kind of give any thoughts that they have in reaction to what we've heard today. I'm going to start with councilor Smith.
256 Thank you.
257 Thank you. I appreciate you, chair canal.
258 And Novick for organizing this presentation. I believe our status as a sanctuary city is incredibly important. I recognize this about nine years ago when I was a Multnomah county commissioner, I authored and passed a sanctuary county status resolution, which was which was terribly important then. And it is really important today. But maintaining sanctuary cities and counties is even more important now. The risks are higher and the current president is likely abusing the law to crack down on the city of los angeles under the guise of immigration enforcement. So for me, folks in the administration have engaged in a pattern of increasingly aggressive and violent behavior to abduct Americans, residents, and even citizens from los angeles and other places and cities around the country, just like Portland. Just yesterday we saw people alleged to be federal agents acting like military units engaged in maneuvers across the macarthur park in the heart of la. Why? What was the purpose? Now more than ever, we need to commit to maintaining portland's sanctuary status as to emphasize that we remain a country beholden to the law, not to the personal whims of a president and their administration. At least for now. I look forward to similar presentations, and I appreciate all of you coming out, sitting through this two hour presentation, because it's important, it's critical, and it's necessary. Thank you.
259 Thank you, councilor Zimmerman.
260 I want to just also give deep appreciation to people who've taken their time out to come and testify. This is an ungodly time in our community, in our country. And. You've made your opinion very clear, and I appreciate that. I think that masked anonymous operations are completely reprehensible. They are dishonorable. They are. Counter to any foundational norms that this country has. And those foundational norms are what set our system just slightly better than every other country's system, is that we at least know who says and who's grabbing us, or who's intervening with us. What's going on in Portland right now? What's going on in the rest of this country right now is reprehensible. It is. It will go down as the great cowards of our time. I. Will note for colleagues that our city attorney's office is working, and I appreciate a unanimous support last month from all of you on this budget. Note that we introduced for some options that exist for us and some other aspects of this, but specific to today's people's testimonies. The ice facility we've invited the attorney general and the district attorneys from across Oregon on that to help us have a more united opinion, legal standing, legal footing in a world where let me back up in a country where not everybody is adhering to the law, I think it's good for this state, these 36 counties that make up this state to be united in following the law and to follow those foundational norms that make us better. We haven't gotten that that city attorney's report yet. I have been in conversation with each of you, and all 12 of us are taking this very seriously, and I've appreciated the depth of conversation and decision making that we are all going through individually, as well as representatives of our community. Lastly, I want to note that there is nothing that I think I can personally do to stop the actions of ice agents at any facility, but particularly the one we're talking about, one that's in my district. But what I hope is that as we make our voice known as we demand that they stop operations in this manner, that we start adhering to the rule of law again, and respecting somebody showing up to a court appearance or showing up for the processing that they're asked to show up for. But I want to ask portlanders to is that I also have residents who live right nearby. I have residents whose windows I was there today. I looked at their windows. They are open windows. I, I hear you, I see you. These bastards are going to do whatever they want to do. But I'm asking you for my residents, for my neighbors, for the people who do need to sleep every night. Make your voice known. Make your position known. But also, I think we can we can choose. And how. The neighbors who live in south waterfront are also affected by what we do. And I hope that you will hear my voice in that, because I don't want them to continue to have to start relocating, which we've heard about in district four.
261 Sitting next to a school.
262 There's no peaceful.
263 Joined the protest. Your district. You better.
264 If we can ask everyone to just bear with us a few more minutes here. You've been doing really well this whole time with the visual reactions. You're welcome to use those on on us as well. And I'll give the floor back.
265 Thank you. Port Portland is going to do better by its residents, by making sure that we stand in a united front, that we do actions that have that we take, actions that have meaningful impact, and that we do so deliberately, and that we also take into account as human beings, the people who we affect in our actions. I'm taking that into account every single day. I know my colleagues are, again, I appreciate everybody that showed up today. This has been a very helpful, very important and meaningful public testimony. Thank you.
266 Thank you. Councilor Zimmerman, councilor Novick.
267 I also very much appreciate everybody who came here today. One thing that somebody said that we should reiterate is that I don't think that there's anything to be gained by appeasement against this administration. We should not be trying to figure out how to keep our heads low and avoid the attention of this administration because, as you all know, the assault on immigrants, like the assault on Jews in nazi germany, is part, a horrific part, but part of a larger pattern. The administration that is assaulting freedom of the press, that is assaulting the rule of law. And I have to tell you, I fully expect that soon they will start executing their political, their political enemies, just because donald trump will want to show that he's as tough as vladimir putin. So this is an assault on our democracy as a whole. The assault on immigrants is the tip of the spear. We're all trying to figure out what the hell to do about it, and we all welcome your thoughts and your advice on what we can do in this horrific time.
268 Thank you. Councilor Novick councilor Morillo.
269 Thank you. Councilor Novick. Thank you chair. I know I'm not supposed to argue with people when they provide testimony, but I have to outrightly reject any narratives that some people brought up saying that ice is keeping our community safe, or that the majority of immigrants that are being kidnaped, detained, and disappeared are criminals. We are not criminals. I've been in the united states since I was four years old, and my single mother brought us here hoping that we would have a better life. And I don't think she ever imagined that this would be the time that we are in right now. And I just I can't let that comment, those kind of comments stand. Not right now. The comments that I made, I think, last week on the moral versus the bureaucratic imperative that we face as city councilors were made before we had more information about the potential violations that have been done by ice at the macadam building and the violations regarding their permits. And that does change the calculation for me when we're talking about this, because if we allow ice to continue to operate when they have violated their permits, that means that anything becomes permissible moving forward. And so to me, that change in information has changed the calculation. I would also say that the people who have been forced to go to the tacoma detention center, and I want to emphasize, I place no blame on the protesters for this. This is isis fault and isis fault alone. Those who have gone to the tacoma detention center have not been released in two months. And the legal attorneys that I've been working with who do immigration law, have said that it's nothing short of a miracle to get those immigrants out of the detention center. And that weighs very, very heavily on me as we're making these decisions. And I have heard some folks in their attempts to advocate say that only a third of immigrants are getting legal representation, so the good is outweighed by the bad. And to be honest, I find that a very dehumanizing talking point because we're not collateral damage in this fight. Even those even if one third of those people, if you had to shake their hand and meet their family members, you would not be able to say that that that is something less. So this is a decision that is going to weigh very heavily on me. I also want to address some of the material concerns that people have brought up, and I have publicly and privately spoken to the mayor and to the police about not attacking or revoking the medic tents, because they are absolutely critical for maintaining free speech. And my office is looking into this further. If people cannot protest safely, then they can't protest at all, and it is absolutely imperative that we continue to maintain people's safety. My office is also looking into the excessive use of tear gas from federal agents, the proximity they have to the school, and holding people longer for 12 hours, and all the other violations of the permit that are being legally assessed so that we can figure out what our real options are. As your elected officials, the incident where a Portland police officer broke someone's arm is being investigated, and my office is also looking into that. And if that level of force has been used by our own officers, that is completely unacceptable. We've we're investigating it and we will update people further. I will update people on these matters publicly as expedient as is possible and responsible to do so, because the sharing of information can also be dangerous at this time. I also want to state again that the federal government has now expanded the ice police state by billions of dollars, not millions, billions. And they have direct jurisdiction over federal buildings and federal land, and they have the manpower and the money to open more detention centers if they should wish to do so. And the administration has absolutely indicated that they will. While this committee was happening, tom homan, the director of ice, also stated that the federal government has turned its sights on Portland. We are going to have to be incredibly nimble in how we address this. We're going to have to work in lockstep and our bureaucratic power as city councilors over permits and things like that will only extend so far. The power that we have is going to also come collectively from you as the people, and we are also the people. We are with you, and we are going to be with you. The haitians in new york prevented their neighbors from being kidnaped directly, and I commend them for that. I don't know why anyone would mess with the haitians, to be honest. It just seems silly at this point. And I think people feel that way about Portland because we have that spirit in us to my office will continue to look into all of these matters, and we are going to be engaging with legal trainings and immigrant rights groups to provide more information to community members as is necessary. I am extremely grateful to everybody who came here today. I'm extremely grateful for everybody who's in the streets and who's doing legal observing and legal defense. You are giving me the courage necessary for this moment, and I. I owe you everything.
270 Thank you. Councilor Morillo. For myself, I'll just say I was really concerned by the video and the instagram post, all the different things that have been sent my way related to the allegation of a police officer breaking someone's arm and the and the documentation there. And I'm, you know, I've spent the last few years working on a community oversight of Portland police and police accountability. That's what my job was prior to coming here and being elected to city council. I think that I hope that everybody in this room believes in in community oversight of police, because when we have individuals deciding that things are okay or not okay, you have things like what happened with the da who skipped a grand jury recently and just said no, that was okay. When a police officer shot someone in in, I believe it was Gresham. And the thing is, when one person makes a decision, it's fast. But when a group does it, it takes more time. It's the same reason the mayor can move faster on things in the city council of 12 can or five before. And I hope that we all believe in that community oversight, even if we're frustrated by some of the things that that the details of it state law is why someone has unpaid leave. By the way, you should definitely contact your state legislators if you have concerns about that. But. Community oversight takes time. It's frustrating. I'd love it if an independent police review who is looking into that. It's not internal affairs, it's independent police review. I would love it if they had an answer tomorrow, but it's not going to be tomorrow. That's just something I wanted to note. It's really hard to follow councilor Morillo on really anything. I'll just say I'm working on a lot of different things that, you know, in support of that and looking into it as well. I have a lot of concern around the use of tear gas. I studied international humanitarian law. That's what my master's degree is in the use of, of chemical munitions is unconscionable in war. And it should be even more unconscionable when used against your own people. I'll also say that when asked to meet, I say yes, I do need to push back on. One testifier said that they were ignored when they reached out. I did offer a meeting and was declined. We would love to meet with you. And I think the person who testified that knows who they are, so I won't name them. But I would love to meet with you. I'd also love to go out and see the school and talk to folks there, because as someone with asthma myself, I think it's really important that we protect the lung health, the respiratory health of everybody in the city. But I am incredibly grateful. Oh last thing I, somebody said that they had video of a second time of a barricade being cleared. Please send that to me. If anyone wants to get in contact with my office, all of our offices. The contact info is at Portland.gov/our last name so mine's canal can spell it out. See it right here. And yeah that's got all of our contact info. Please send me that. I would love to follow up on all that. As I said, this is not the last time we're going to talk about this. You know, I hope I hope that at some point during my time in office, there will be a last time we need to talk about it because we won't have ice here. I hope that that happens. We know it's not going to happen tomorrow. So this is a the second meeting where we're having this conversation, and I look forward to more conversations with my colleagues, as well as hearing from you as we go. And I will say that my calculus has changed as well, based on the information I've received. So with that, I will just close out this meeting by noting this month the committee actually meets three times. We didn't meet on June 10th. That was rescheduled to July 15th a week from today. We also have our regularly scheduled meeting on on Tuesday, July 22nd. Both of those are tuesdays, 230 to 4:30 p.m. At the next meeting, we'll have a follow up presentation on pbem. Portland bureau of emergency management budget and staffing. Most of that meeting will be spent on the Portland police bureau annual report from 2024. That item will include a presentation, councilor Discussions and councilor Questions and discussion and public comment, as well as eventually, a decision on whether to refer the report to the full council. So just keep that in mind for next week. So with that, it is now 4:45 p.m. Thank you all for being here. This meeting of the community and public safety committee is adjourned.