Lea en Español: Información sobre las redadas de ICE en Oregon
March 2, 2017 - Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, confirmed that they conducted a raid in Woodburn, a predominantly Latino town in Oregon. Of the people detained, at least four had no criminal record. ICE officials claimed they were looking for someone in particular when they stopped two vans of forest workers, but we should be very skeptical. This is a flimsy excuse for violating constitutional rights.
The Constitution guarantees core basic rights to every person in the United States. This applies during ICE enforcement actions. Immigration raids frequently violate the Constitution. For example, ICE agents engage in prohibited behavior when they selectively target predominantly Latino neighborhoods and work sites; enter people’s homes without proper warrants or consent; or coerce frightened individuals to submit to interrogations about their citizenship and immigration status.
The Constitution ensures equal protection and fair treatment under the law to all people, regardless of their skin color or accent. Looking or sounding “foreign” is not enough to justify seizing a person for immigration investigation.
If people observe ICE enforcement actions, they can use their phone or a camera to document it, just as they can document any law enforcement activity. Witnesses to ICE activity can report it to the ACLU of Oregon's immigration hotline via text or call at (971) 412-ACLU or (971) 412-2258. For actions around Portland, you should also contact the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition hotline at 1-888-622-1510.
Previously, the ACLU of Oregon asked people to pause before sharing their stories on social media while incidents were verified. Now that ICE is operating in full force in Oregon, we need to hold them accountable. Post pictures and video of ICE enforcement actions using the hashtag #OregonICEwatch and tag ACLU of Oregon (Facebook) or @ACLU_OR (Twitter). Download the Mobile Justice Oregon app to automatically upload video of law enforcement activity in Oregon to the ACLU of Oregon. We plan to use this information to track ICE activity throughout the state.
