Additional Content:  We are sharing a message to Hillsboro City Council:  We would like to know what answers you have to this citizens request?  You said officers would be dispatched- we all heard that.  I am posting this with the hope that you will reply- We are concerned when we hear No Officers responded.  Miss Delgado had the entire incident on film and is not being untruthful about this:

The City of Hillsboro is not alone in the urgent crisis that has fallen over it with the fallout from ICE arrests.  While a formal declaration and a State of Emergency did happen this week, the real work of what to do next is just beginning.  Some of that work will come in the form of business support and grants to non-profits. Other work may include lobbying State and Federal bodies for change.  But Hillsboro’s State of Emergency has exposed a truth most residents didn’t know: the City has no actual law that says what ICE can or cannot do on city property.

No municipal code.
No civil rights protections.
No immigration-related rules for staff or police.
No requirement to report ICE encounters.
No citywide standards.

In the middle of the most significant immigration enforcement sweep in Hillsboro’s history, that gap has become impossible to ignore. This week, Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair publicly proposed moving Hillsboro from symbolic Sanctuary City statements into legally enforceable municipal protections.  Her Proposal will be heard following Monday at a Special Work Session at 6 PM at City Hall.  Leadership is rising at City Hall, and she is among the most formidable so far.

The push would turn Hillsboro’s vague 2017 Sanctuary Resolution — a values statement — into enforceable law. For the first time, Hillsboro would have citywide rules governing how staff, police, and elected leaders interact with federal immigration enforcement.

“Our commitment to our Latino, Immigrant, and Refugee Communities requires more from electeds,” Sinclair wrote.
“It’s time to move from symbolism to clear, binding accountability.”

WHAT THE PROPOSAL WOULD DO-

This is called Codifying the Code– baking it into the law so that it is enforceable and meaningful.

Sinclair asked City staff to return in December with draft municipal code language covering the following core changes:

1. Define What Counts as “City Property”

This includes all places where residents live their everyday lives:

• Parks and trails

• Libraries

• Community centers

• Civic Center

• City Hall

• Streets, sidewalks, and rights-of-way

• City-run events

• Parking lots

• Administrative buildings

Right now, none of this has legal protections.

2. Set Clear Limits on City Cooperation With ICE

In line with the Oregon Sanctuary Promise Act (ORS 181A.820–826), the code would:

• Prohibit voluntary cooperation with ICE

• Require judicial warrants for access to nonpublic areas

• Prevent the use of city resources for immigration enforcement

• Stop sharing data or footage unless legally required

3. Require Citywide Reporting and Logging of ICE Encounters

This is a major shift.

Under the proposal:

• Any ICE presence on city property must be logged

• Any request to staff or HPD must be documented

• Reporting becomes public record

• Tracking creates future accountability

Currently, none of this exists.

4. Establish Training, Signage, and Language-Access

Residents don’t know where it’s safe to go.
Staff don’t know how to respond.
Codified standards fix both.

5. Require Consistent Policies Across All Departments

Today, policies differ by building and division.
This makes city services unpredictable for families facing fear.

Codification unifies the approach across the city.

WHY THIS MATTERS NOW

Hillsboro’s Latino community — more than 25,000 strong — is experiencing fear in parks, workplaces, schools, and public spaces. Families are reporting separations, surveillance, detentions, and confusion about where they can safely go.

With no municipal code in place:

• Staff don’t know how to respond

• Police lack clear internal limitations

• Residents don’t know their rights

• ICE can operate in gray zones

And in moments of crisis, gray zones become dangerous.

Codification is how Hillsboro replaces uncertainty with protection.

It turns:

• Promises → Rules

• Values → Accountability

• Statements → Systems

• Hope → Structure

This is the move from aspirational Sanctuary to enforceable Sanctuary.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Sinclair has asked city staff to draft:

• Proposed code language

• Implementation steps

• Fiscal impact

• Training plans

• Oversight mechanisms

Drafts would be generated first, if this proposal moves ahead, followed by Council discussion — and potentially, a vote.

If adopted, Hillsboro would join major U.S. cities in placing Sanctuary rules directly into its own municipal code, ensuring long-term protections that cannot be quietly removed or ignored.

This proposal may be one of the most consequential civil rights decisions in Hillsboro’s modern history. And Kipperlyn Sinclair is to be credited for recognizing that it is needed, the profound impacts it can have, and how it will help not only this situation but all future generations, too.  This is community leadership at its finest.

“I’ve proposed Codifying Hillsboro’s Jurisdiction as a Sanctuary City.

Currently, Hillsboro’s Municipal Code (city law) does not address Sanctuary City, civil rights, or human rights. Our commitment to our Latino, Immigrant, and Refugee Communities REQUIRES MORE FROM ELECTEDS.

Hillsboro’s 2017 Sanctuary City Resolution (No. 2552) affirmed our values—but it remains symbolic and unenforceable. With ongoing ICE activity creating extreme fear, mistrust, and confusion for families and businesses, it’s time to move from symbolism to clear, binding accountability.

At the November 18th Work Session, I requested Council discussion on codifying Hillsboro’s Sanctuary commitments into the Municipal Code. This includes:

• DEFINING JURISDICTION across all City-controlled spaces
(libraries, parks, community centers, administrative buildings, sidewalks, rights-of-way, parking areas, and City-managed event spaces)

• ESTABLISHING LIMITS on City involvement in federal immigration enforcement consistent with the Oregon Sanctuary Promise Act (ORS 181A.820–826)

• REQUIRING LOGGING and public reporting of any ICE presence or requests

• SETTING training, signage, access, and language-access standards

• CREATING a consistent, transparent system across ALL DEPARTMENTS and HPD

I have asked staff to return in December with draft code language, an implementation plan, fiscal impacts, and recommendations for long-term institutional protections.

As code, this work creates ICE ACTIVITY reporting on city-controlled spaces as public record, which can serve the public as a tool in providing evidence for future accountability. This proposal reinforces trust in City governance, strengthens accountability, and ensures every resident receives consistent, dignified treatment in all City spaces.

In solidarity,
Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair

 

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🇪🇸 VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL (TONO B — COMUNITARIO Y EMPÁTICO)

Hillsboro Avanza Hacia Protecciones Reales: Por Qué Codificar las Reglas del Santuario Importa Ahora Más Que Nunca

La reciente Declaración de Estado de Emergencia en Hillsboro ha dejado al descubierto una verdad que muchas familias desconocían:

La Ciudad de Hillsboro NO tiene ninguna ley que diga lo que ICE puede o no puede hacer en la propiedad de la ciudad.

No existe un código municipal.
No hay protecciones claras.
No hay procedimientos para el personal.
No hay reglas para la policía.
No se requiere reportar la presencia de ICE en edificios públicos.

En medio de una ola de detenciones y miedo que ha afectado a cientos de familias, esta falta de claridad se siente como un vacío que duele — un vacío que aumenta la confusión y el temor.

Por eso, esta semana, la concejal Kipperlyn Sinclair propuso convertir a Hillsboro en un Santuario con leyes reales, no solo palabras bonitas. Su plan busca transformar la resolución simbólica de 2017 en protecciones verdaderas, permanentes y obligatorias para todas las personas que viven, trabajan o visitan nuestra ciudad.

“Nuestro compromiso con nuestras comunidades Latina, Inmigrante y Refugiada requiere más de nosotrxs como funcionaries electxs,” escribió Sinclair.
“Es momento de pasar de la simbolización a la responsabilidad real.”

¿Qué cambiaría exactamente?

La propuesta pide que el personal de la ciudad regrese en diciembre con un borrador de nuevas leyes municipales que incluirían:

1. Definir claramente “propiedad de la ciudad”

Esto cubriría todos los espacios donde nuestra comunidad vive su vida diaria:

• Bibliotecas

• Parques y senderos

• Centros comunitarios

• Edificios administrativos

• La Alcaldía

• Estacionamientos

• Aceras y calles

• Eventos de la ciudad

Hoy, nada de esto está protegido con ley.

2. Limitar la cooperación entre la Ciudad y ICE

En línea con la ley estatal Sanctuary Promise (ORS 181A.820–826), la codificación:

• Prohibiría la cooperación voluntaria con ICE

• Exigiría órdenes judiciales, no solo papeles administrativos

• Evitaría que la ciudad comparta información, cámaras o datos con ICE

• Protegería a las personas que buscan servicios públicos

3. Requerir que TODA presencia de ICE sea registrada y reportada

Este es un cambio histórico.

Las nuevas leyes exigirían que:

• Cualquier presencia de ICE en la propiedad de la ciudad sea documentada

• Toda solicitud hecha a empleados o a la policía sea registrada

• Estos reportes sean de acceso público

• Exista un registro comprobable para futuras investigaciones

Hoy: nada de esto es obligatorio.

4. Capacitación, señalización y acceso lingüístico

Para que:

• Las familias sepan dónde están protegidas

• El personal sepa exactamente cómo actuar

• Nadie esté adivinando en una situación de emergencia

5. Crear reglas consistentes en TODOS los departamentos

Actualmente, cada edificio y cada departamento puede funcionar diferente.
Esto genera confusión y desconfianza.

Codificar crearían un sistema unificado para toda la ciudad.

¿Por qué es tan importante esto para nuestra comunidad Latina e inmigrante?

Porque el miedo está afectando todo:

• familias;

• negocios;

• asistencia escolar;

• salud mental;

• movilidad;

• confianza en la ciudad;

• participación en la vida pública.

Muchas personas ya no saben si es seguro ir al parque, a la biblioteca, a un evento comunitario, o incluso caminar por el centro.

Cuando no existen reglas claras:

• ICE opera en zonas grises

• El personal no sabe qué hacer

• La policía queda sin límites definidos

• La comunidad queda vulnerable

Codificar estas reglas es convertir el caos en claridad, y el miedo en protección.

¿Qué sigue?

La concejal Sinclair pidió que el personal de la ciudad presente en diciembre:

• el borrador de las nuevas leyes

• los costos esperados

• el plan de implementación

• el entrenamiento necesario

• mecanismos de transparencia y supervisión

Esto podría llegar a votación en los próximos meses.

Si se aprueba, Hillsboro tendría por primera vez en su historia protecciones reales, exigibles, y duraderas para las familias inmigrantes — protecciones que no dependen de quién esté en el cargo, ni del clima político del momento.

Para una ciudad con más de 25,000 residentes Latinos, este paso podría marcar un antes y un después.