The Real Story – A Column
ICE STRIKES AGAIN IN HILLSBORO AS MAN IS EXTRACTED FROM TRUCK ON TV HIGHWAY. Yesterday, we published footage of a citizen blocking a reported ICE vehicle in Hillsboro, trying to make an arrest. A few hours later, a reader of the Hillsboro Herald in Hillsboro, Oregon, sent in a video that they asked us to share, which shows what appears to be ICE OFFICERS in Unmarked SUVs pulling a man from a white work truck with lumber on it. This occurred just after Noon in Hillsboro at about SE 11th and SE Tualatin Valley Highway in the Calle Diez Hispanic/LatinX business district of Hillsboro, Oregon. At the beginning of the Video, we see a man in handcuffs or zip ties being removed from the white pickup. Shortly after the unmarked vehicles exit the area. No additional information is currently available. Concerned parties should call the Hillsboro Police Department or the Hillsboro City Hall for further details.
As shocking as this is, I believe everyone in Hillsboro and Western Washington County was aware that this was coming. Perhaps this is the tip of the iceberg. We will report on what happens when it happens and strive to maintain an honest platform for debate. You may leave comments below, but anyone with hate speech or an unconfirmed or fictitious email address will not get their comments published.
The Herald published a story earlier this year (July) about what our local police and sheriffs can and cannot do, and if there is something more they should or could be doing. Some cities have taken decisive actions on this matter, instructing their officers to request warrants, to witness and document arrests to ensure they are conducted legally, and to verify proper identification from ICE Officers. I am unsure at this time if there have been any instructions beyond those we published earlier, and that was that HPD will not intervene.
Here is an excerpt from our earlier article in which we break down what the State of Play is now:
Can the HPD and County Deputies legally request ID and copies of warrants from ICE and other agents?
Yes — but only in limited, non-obstructive ways.
Local law enforcement can:
Ask questions, including:
“What agency are you with?”
“Do you have a warrant?”
“Why are you arresting this person?”
Request ID or credentials from federal agents.
- Contact their chain of command or legal team.
Notify a federal watch commander or DOJ contact.
- Document the incident (e.g., with body cam or notes).
Ensure public safety and prevent escalation.
But — they cannot legally interfere with a lawful federal arrest unless there’s explicit unlawful conduct (like impersonation or assault)
🔹 When could local officers legitimately intervene more strongly?
Local police could take action or pause the situation if they have reason to believe:
The person claiming to be a federal agent is not legitimate (e.g., no ID, suspicious behavior).
The arrest appears to be endangering public safety (e.g., weapons drawn in a crowd).
There’s a credible civil rights concern (e.g., excessive force, no warrant in a home).
🛠️ Minimum Required Fixes: The Hillsboro City Council and Washington County Commissioners could create new directives to HPD and WCSO to”
Require Hillsboro and WCSO officers in our City to verify the identity of ICE agents when detentions are witnessed in public.
Require officers to request and examine a judicial warrant.
Require documentation of the encounter—at a minimum, a call-in and log report.
Notify the Oregon DOJ Sanctuary Promise Unit for public transparency.
Is Hillsboro a Sanctuary or a Spectator? It’s time for you to make a decision.
If the guy is an illegal alien then good.
Hi Dick- Norman would be so saddened by your comments. Fthe problem with yor whole argument is there was no badeg number, unmarked cars equally tied to cartel activity perhaps, no warrants, no answers to questions. So nobody now knows if this this was and MS 13 Gang, the Cartels form SA, ICE, the clown patrol- I assume you are in favor of law enforcement? Then you must be in favor of the laws being enforced and proper Federal Laws being followed? I will wait.
That person was targeted for a reason. Like with any criminal investigation, those witnessing arrests don’t know the whole situation. I trust that law enforcement is doing their job to protect us! I stand with ICE.
False Email account u used to comment- so I will allow this but you are not credible- your email you used is linked to a MAGA extremist website- the problem with yor whole argument is there was no badeg number, unmarked cars equally tied to cartel activity perhaps, no warrants, no answers to questions. So nobody now knows if this this was and MS 13 Gang, the Cartels form SA, ICE, the clown patrol- I assume you are in favor of law enforcement? Then you must be in favor of the laws being enforced and proper Federal Laws being followed? I will wait.
If you are here illegally. Please find the closest exit back to where you came from. Thank you.
And, roll call. You are from where? And how do we know who was illegal or not illegal when there is no due process? You ok with your fmaily or friends being grabbed by unidentified officers and taken to somehwere no one knows?
I can’t believe the public is interfering with ICE doing their job of deporting illegal aliens who are criminals. These people are bringing drugs through our country and profiting off of that American people. Not only are tax payers paying for their SNAP, health care, subsidized housing but also funding their drug running. People are blind to the crime right under their noses. Mind blowing.
I will allow your comment – but it looks like your not from here. So how about you enlighten us as to your homeland and situation?
ICE doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt when they’ve already wrongfully arrested a 71 year old grandma and even a firefighter battling an active wildfire in Bear Gulch. Both were already released with no conditions or even charges.
Defend your neighbors from being abducted by poorly trained and reckless masked goons. And defend Good Samaritans who are protecting fellow Oregonians from being jailed by a vindictive Department of InJustice.
The eyes of history are watching us and they won’t be kind to those who just look the other way at this abuse.
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/09/25/honduran-woman-grandchildren-released-ice/
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/09/24/firefighter-border-patrol-washington-released-ice/
Dirk,
In your opinion is there any situation that an illegal alien should be deported? If they have broken another law? If someone has entered our country illegally, has falsely used a social security # to obtain a job, or applied for social services under false pretenses. All of this takes away services from legal US citizens. I have worked with quite a few guys that have/are doing this and the argument that they pay taxes and are good hard working people, sounds good but many claim 10 depends on W2 and brag about it. I am not against immigration but it should be done legally. How would you feel if someone snuck into your house and used your stuff, ate your food and sleep in your bed? (Not talking about your relatives) Your argument about ICE and how they could be MS-13 because they don’t show ID is weak. Do you think people should show ID to vote?
My opinion is that anyone who breaks the laws of the City of Hillsboro, Washington County, the State of Oregon, or the United States, is subject to the prescribed penalties for breaking said laws. Anyone who is accused of breaking laws has to answer for doing so. But only after law enforcement, the court systems, the legal system, and incarceration systems- etc. follow every required statute and law on their parts. There are a trememndous amount of protections in the laws to protect against illegal search and seizure, against illegal arrests, etc. All of them are in play when it comes to the arrests we are seeing. They include but ae not limited to: 1. U.S. Constitution
Fourth Amendment: Protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. A false arrest violates this if there’s no probable cause.
Fifth Amendment: Protects against self-incrimination and deprivation of liberty without due process of law.
Fourteenth Amendment (Due Process Clause): Extends these protections to state and local governments.
2. Civil Rights Act (42 U.S.C. §1983)
This is the key federal law allowing lawsuits against government officials (including police, prosecutors, and ICE agents) who violate constitutional rights.
You can sue in federal court if:
You were arrested without probable cause,
You were detained unlawfully, or
You were prosecuted maliciously or in retaliation for exercising your rights.
Courts have recognized §1983 actions for:
False arrest / unlawful detention
Malicious prosecution
Excessive force
Fabrication or suppression of evidence
⚖️ Oregon State Law Protections
1. Oregon Constitution
Article I, Section 9: Mirrors the Fourth Amendment — protects against unreasonable search or seizure.
Article I, Section 10: Guarantees a remedy for injury to person, property, or reputation — you can bring a civil action for false arrest or imprisonment.
2. Oregon Tort Law
Under Oregon common law, citizens can sue for:
False arrest or false imprisonment: Detaining someone without legal justification.
Malicious prosecution: Initiating a criminal proceeding without probable cause and with malice.
Dirk, you should wait to report on this type of news until you have all the facts. You’re fear mongering. Was the person in the UNITED STATES illegally? If so, it’s no different that someone selling drugs out of their apartment and the police or FBI doing a large scale arrest to stop the activity. You mention unmarked cars like it’s some sort of unique phenomenon. Hiilsboro PD, County Sheriff and State Troopers all use unmarked cars. Federal immigration law trumps state law over and over again.
Thanls, Derek. But I disagree. Letting people know ICE is taking people is news worthy – or maybe its not ICE- ot Border Patrol- or anyone- because they do not display badges or badge numbers. No Names eithet. I get your point but let’s not kid each other. ICE has turned into a private army for the Whitehouse and they are carrying out a fear and intimidation campaign. That is the primary objective. I have no issue with law enforcement doing their jobs. This sort of work is not the way that is legally and defensibly done.
Thanks for replying Dirk. Agree to disagree I guess.
The tactics are the issue. The police and federal agents must follow the law and there is absolutely no reason for US citizens to put up with masked men without even uniforms dragging people away in unmarked cars. We no not live in a military police state where people can just be disappeared. Then there is the obvious problem of profiling and the fact that ICE has routinely detained citizens and people with legal status.
Also being in the USA is not the same as selling drugs. Selling drugs is a felony. Being in the country without proper documentation is a civil offense not a criminal offense.
Being in the US without authorization is a civil offense, not a federal crime, so it is *very* different than someone selling drugs out of their house. Sure, perhaps there are other elements that fall under criminal statutes but the act of simply being present undocumented is not. Dirk already lists the Constitutional protections there has been ample reporting are being violated regularly. Cobstitutional violations should not be tolerated nor normalized. Wonder if you & some of these other commenters will continue to be so cavalier if it eventually touches you in some way.