State Of Emergency On Tap For Hillsboro City Council Meeting Tuesday

A quick post this morning with more to follow later today.  The City of Hillsboro has released a draft version of a State of Emergency Resolution in reference to ICE and the arrests now taking place around the valley.  Public outcry demanding such a declaration be passed has been rising for a month or so.  At the last meeting on November 4th, many demanded it, yet the Mayor and staff resisted.  I have not had time to review all of the impacts of this 5-page Resolution, but I will revise this story later today.

There are a large number of other items on the agenda for the 6 PM work session, which include proposals from 4 councilors on additional steps Hillsboro needs to take.

Read up on all the items right here: https://hillsboro-oregon.civicweb.net/document/253888/

City Councilors Make Specific Recommendations to protect the citizens of Hillsboro further:

Proposals from Council Members for the City to Consider 

Councilor Anvery Proposes:
• Making information available; Know your Rights
translations
• Using city funds – ongoing
• Signage – disallow ICE from public places?
• Collaboration
• Emergency declaration
• Control what we can – evictions, utilities, etc.
• Formalizing what HPD does
• Incidents/calls
• Regular reporting
• PIRC training + being legal observers
• Support proposed legislation – facemasks and
identification

Councilor Salgado
• Creation of a Civil & Human Rights Department
• Legal observers at arrests
• Legal navigator
• Low-barrier Grants Manager
• Engagement with organizations
• Compliance with legal frameworks
• Partnerships – HSD, churches, non-profits

Councilor Alcaire
• Boundaries for public spaces; Safety barriers around schools
• Position reporting to Council – training + engagement
• Human rights council + staffing
• Enforce local laws broken by ICE
• Cancel public gatherings
• Expand family leave for impacted community
• Explain funds distribution process
• In partnership with Centro + Adelante, track detained people
+ impacted families
• City staff volunteer at nonprofits
• Regular HPD reporting on ICE activity
• Regular forum for impacted community to address council
• Council follow guidance from non-profits, legal firms, and
Mexican Consulate
• Request Oregon legislators declare a statewide emergency

Councilor Case
• ICE Response page
• COH policy on ICE
• Surveillance tech education
• Know Your Rights – expand communication
• Declaration of State of Emergency
• Comprehensive staff training
• Codify sanctuary status into law

Councilor Sinclair
• Codifying City of Hillsboro’s Sanctuary City Status
• Prohibition on use of City resources for Federal
Immigration Enforcement
• Training Requirements
• Public Access and Signage
• Immigrant Affairs Tracking, Evaluation, and Reporting
• Logging ICE interactions

These are all excellent ideas that add tools and significant improvements to the current situation, which was never designed to handle this situation, but then again, nothing was.  One of the most important things is for the City of Hillsboro’s codes to be codified and ingrained into the activities and rules that apply to our City buildings and properties.  As it stands, what happens at City properties is somewhat outlined in the code, but not hard-coded.

Clarity = Protection

Without codified rules, everything is informal, discretionary, and subject to the whims of politics.

That means as of rigth now:

• Residents don’t know their rights on city land

• City staff don’t know their obligations

• HPD and other agencies act without a public framework

• Federal agencies can exploit the ambiguity

Codification forces transparency.

2. Limits Federal Use of City Property

Cities cannot obstruct federal law—but they can regulate their own property**.

Examples of lawful codification:

• Require warrants for ICE to access non-public areas of city property

• Prohibit the city from entering into voluntary agreements with federal immigration enforcement

• Bar ICE or CBP from using city facilities, utilities, or data systems without due process

• Prohibit city equipment (e.g., FLOCK data, camera systems, fiber/data tools, radio channels) from being shared with immigration enforcement

These policies already exist in places like:
Portland, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Santa Ana, Santa Clara County, New York City.

Hillsboro is behind them by 5 to 10 years.

3. Prevents “Shadow Compliance” by Local Law Enforcement

Right now, HPD or Washington County Sheriff could—legally—share:

• ALPR/FLOCK data

• Body-cam footage

• Utility billing data

• 911 location information

• Police radio information

• Building access

unless a law prohibits it.

Codification creates a bright line that says:

“City resources cannot be used for immigration enforcement.”

4. Protects the City From Liability

When residents say they were detained, questioned, surveilled, or turned over to ICE after interactions on city property, codified policies give the city a defense:

• “We have a law preventing that.”

• “Here are the procedures.”

• “Here is the audit trail.”

Without codified rules?
Unmonitored discretion = massive civil liability exposure.

5. Gives Community Members Predictability

Many of our Latino residents no longer feel safe anywhere—including on city land.

Codified protections can include:

• No ICE enforcement allowed in city buildings without a judicial warrant

• No immigration questioning during city services

• No FLOCK/ALPR information shared with immigration enforcement

• The right to access city services without fear of immigration consequences

• Required disclosures if a federal agency requests access or information

• Annual transparency reports

That’s how trust is rebuilt.

Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair has put forth a powerful proposal to do all of the above.  Councilor Case mentions some of this, but we do not have the details of the scope and intent of her proposal.

Councilor Salgado has a strong proposal for the creation of a Civil Rights and Humanitarian Department and is gaining support for this idea from people in various areas.  This agency would have personnel out to monitor arrests, documenting to the extent possible who is being arrested, who arrested them, the charges, and other relevant details. This is something that needs to be done.  Currently, no one knows who has been taken, where they went, or what the circumstances are.  There is no accountability at all.  Documentation is really desperately needed, and we have nothing right now.

The information for this work session and the City Council meeting is all listed below.  You can attend live, sign up to speak, and also watch on Zoom and on community cable, which is a great way to see all of the action.  It appears this will be another very active evening with lots of energy and testimony as well:

CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
TVCTV Livestream • Civic Center Auditorium • Zoom Teleconference
Sign-language interpreters, are available at no cost. To arrange, please call 503-681-6100 or TTY 503-681-
6284, 72 hours prior to the meeting.
Translation services are available by using the QR code above, or the link below.
Zoom Teleconference
Phone: 1-253-215-8782
Meeting ID: 851 4863 9488
Password: 932487
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85148639488?pwd=RzNHQ0ZzVFBNN3h5Q04xQnJjaGJsQT09
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1. Work Session – 6pm – Civic Center C113B&C/Zoom Teleconference
Work Sessions are open to the public to observe the presentation and discussion. To
speak to the Council, sign up using the instructions listed under the Public Comment
section below.
1.1. Community Impacts Related to ICE Activity and Response Work
PowerPoint
City Council Regular Session – 7pm – Civic Center Auditorium/Zoom Teleconference
Pledge of Allegiance