The Real Story – A Column
Editor’s Note: We are collecting information on all organizations, churches, businesses, and individuals who are offering assistance and doing work to support our residents during this crisis. Please email us at hillsboroherald@gmail.com to have your information posted, your efforts recognized, and what you can do or are doing to help. We will add it to this story and post it on our upcoming resource guide!
They’re Hunting Our Neighbors: Hillsboro’s ICE Crisis and the People Fighting Back: The immigration emergency and crisis brought on by ICE and other federal agencies waging war on Hillsboro and greater Washington County continues. Arrests and abductions are happening daily. Because agents are not consistently displaying badges, identification, or openly producing warrants, the entire situation has turned into a hunt for humans. Let’s not sugarcoat this- all of it seems to be aimed at the destruction of lives and our communities. This is not about arresting criminals- no, it is not. This is about people with brown skin being targeted first, regardless of their backgrounds or criminal records. Even their immigration status does not seem to matter.
This has gone on so long that fear is now baked into daily life. Parents are keeping their children home. Businesses — regardless of the race of the owners — are hurting, with Hispanic/Latino-owned companies taking the most brutal hit. And while a small percentage of residents seem to be sitting at home cheering this on, the majority of people I see and talk to understand this for what it is: a manufactured disaster. And while we are not alone, people in Miami, Texas, and Kentucky, whom I spoke to this week, say nothing is happening at all in their towns, and they do not believe or understand what is happening here.
That, in fact, is the point. This is what the White House wants. Because Hillsboro and Washington County are heavily Hispanic/Latino, and because we live in a Blue state, our community is taking the brunt of this operation in our region. For many of us, this has become as bad as the COVID pandemic — and in some ways, worse.
Maybe you are one of the growing number of locals who thought this would pass, or hoped it would. Perhaps you have wanted to help but didn’t know how. This short post is for you — with a plea to jump in and help, because the people on the front lines are wearing thin and still trying to stand firm.
This weekend was another assault, a massive one, on the people of #Hillsboro. This one was hard to watch and had the potential to explode and overspill into the community as a whole. Many residents are once again asking where the Hillsboro Police Department is. It is Sunday, so I can not reach anyone, nor would they probably have done anything. The fact is, the City and the Chief are still shackled by the Federal Supremacy Clause, but I sure hope they came and found out who the agents were, who they took, where they were taken, etc. This is again what Councilor Cristian Salgado is asking for. His position is that if the Police can not do it, then a Civil Rights and Humanitarian department could. This has to end eventually. Salgado and many others believe we need the historical accounting of who made the arrests, who was arrested, where they were taken, and if any constitutional rights were violated. This will aid in lawsuits, future prosecutions of those who breach State and Federal Law, and provide historical context and a record.
This happened at 10th and Oak Street in the Calle Diez business district- this is ground zero for our Hispanic/Latino community, and it is not by chance that this happened here. Shocking and very upsetting.
Below are some of the people and organizations who are fighting the good fight and building resources to help anyone who is being targeted or who has been taken. We salute all of them and hope many of you will plug in and stand up. Money, phone calls, time, energy — it’s all needed.
Government Resources-
Washington County Immigration Resources– https://www.washingtoncountyor.gov/cao/sanctuary-promise-and-immigration-support
City of Hillsboro Immigration Resources Page – https://www.hillsboro-oregon.gov/community/community-resources/immigration-resources
Hillsboro has a work session on December 16th, followed by a Public Hearing. We believe significant decisions will be made at that time.
Private Parties and Non-Profits Leading the Way-
No one is doing more to monitor ICE and Border Patrol/Bounty Hunters in Hillsboro and Washington County than Kiley Delgado. You can follow her on Instagram here and on Facebook here. I will go so far as to say that no one person has done more to inform the community and discourage those seeking to take people from our communities, and when this ends, her name and those like her need to be remembered. I will let you watch her videos, posts, and interactions with ICE. She is informing a broad audience through live feeds from her truck.
Kiley was documenting an arrest yesterday, right in the middle of TV Highway at 10th Avenue and Oak Street, that stopped all traffic and created chaos for Hillsboro and everyone trying to move through it. This arrest terrified many people.
Seen on her IG Page: “Without community, there is no liberation.” Audre Lorde
Another Instagram user we have been following also fearlessly monitors ICE activities around the Portland Metro Region. @penn.ypatch can be followed at this link: https://www.instagram.com/penn.ypatch/
Another account covering incidents all over the Metro area is https://www.instagram.com/pdxicewatch/
A Bright Star Shines
Manny Chavez, Hillsboro’s student who went Viral after the Herald posted his 3-minute gut-wrenching testimony, has been working to feed people. The kid is the real deal, and his GoFundMe is being used to purchase food from the most affected markets and distribute it to the community. Manny has now raised $42,000, kept his promise on the platform, and delivered over 2,000 pounds of food. A toy drive is next. His story was covered worldwide by the very most significant media platforms- and his story was our Hillsboro story- and he continues to inspire and carry the torch. Our youth are showing us in so many ways that these events and this sort of treatment are not a world they are willing to live in. These kids own our community and our future- they are being tested, many broken, but what is rising is something special. Manny is one of them and a leading voice from Hillsboro- he makes so many of us proud while he is carrying this work.
View this post on Instagram
The Washington County Democrats have been very active as well. They have been posting events, news, initiatives, and meeting and event notices. The group has been bustling, lobbying, and working on new laws and actions.
CENTRO is one of the legacy organizations that have worked with Hispanic/Latino residents for decades. From housing to food to immigration, they have been there. The organization is one of the CBOs (Community-Based Organizations) that the City and County trust and invest in to help and support those who have been most affected by arrests and deportations. They have a big event this week designed to train and inform those who want to make a difference as this crisis moves ahead. Follow Centro here- https://www.facebook.com/CentroCultural.org
AN EVENING OF IMPACTJoin us for a night dedicated to learning, connection, and community support.ACLU of Oregon and PIRC will offer a training designed to help our community be prepared to accompany families and neighbors who have been impacted.
Another important group is Adelante Mujeres: https://es.adelantemujeres.org/. “Adelante Mujeres was created to do something no other nonprofit was doing in the state of Oregon: focus on the needs of marginalized immigrant Latina women.” They are doing so much more and working on immigration issues and legal options for those who need help.
Lastly, you will hear about and see the acronym PIRC a lot.
“Since 2005, PIRC has demonstrated its ability to mobilize large numbers of people, provide crucial services during critical moments (like ICE raids), and adapt its structure to meet evolving needs.” During this Crisis no one has more resources nor is tracking more incidents than they are. The hotline is 1-888-622-1510 https://www.instagram.com/pirc_oregon
View this post on Instagram
And H.U.M.A.N. is doing great work- food drives, toy drives, you name it. They are on the ground and getting going, and they need your help!
View this post on Instagram
Follow HUMAN at https://www.instagram.com/human_97124/
If you’ve been waiting for a sign that it’s time to get involved, this is it. Our neighbors are being hunted. Our community is scared. And the only thing that has ever beaten fear in Hillsboro is people linking arms and standing up together.
If you have a church, an organization, a non-profit, a social media account, or any other links, posts, or resources to offer, please message us on Instagram or Facebook at @HillsboroHerald, and we will add your resources here. We will keep this post as a standing page with information to help everyone!
Contact us at hillsboroherald@gmail.com.
Ask yourself: when this is over, will people say you looked away? Will you look in the mirror in a year, or 5, or 25, and hold yourself accountable? You can do even the smallest of actions and help: $10 will help; a phone call or letter will help; a VOTE in the coming months will help.
Let me leave you with this.
“Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others, past and present. And by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.” Sonmi-451
Be the Future You Want For Yourself and The Children Of the World
Well, that was a load of propaganda. None of that was true. All fabricated to pull on heart strings of those who are mentally vulnerable to use to support illegal endeavours. Did we forget about the Money Laundering facilities that were raided on 10th? Hmm? The trafficking in narcotics? Hmm? Seems like a certain community is hiding their true intentions while b.s.’ing the easily bs’d. If they weren’t they could have walked up and claimed asylum and had their day in court. Now it’s the hard way and you did it to yourselves and now you’re trying to blame everyone for your failure to execute your illegal enterprises. No sympothy or empathy at this point. You had a chance to do it the fair way. You stole our tax dollars. You didn’t contribute to the prosperity of America. You raided our food banks. You stole our merchandise. You raised our insurance, utilities and taxes. Depressed wages. This argument is over. Trash is being taken out.
Again – gotta go after criminals. This is not the case so far. They have actually not tied much criminal behavior to those arrested so far. And I want them to go after the criminals. That does not seem what they are doing nor are they even trying so far. I repeat- all criminals must be gone after.
“You stole our tax dollars” – immigrants pay taxes. They don’t get Social Security or Medicare, but they do pay taxes.
“You don’t contribute to the prosperity of America” – these people are the backbone of the agricultural landscape of Oregon. You’re not out there picking berries or working in food processing at substandard wages. When they’re gone, and all of the “help wanted” signs are going up, and you don’t get fresh berries or tomatoes and gripe about the rising cost of produce because the farms are having to pay actual wages (and are having such a hard time finding people who want actual wages + health insurance), where will your whining and whinging about “contributing to the prosperity of America” go? Probably to whining and whinging about how Gen (pick alphabet who is not a boomer, it’ll work for you) doesn’t appreciate the value of hard work, while also whining and whinging about how many Gen(LRR) complain about student loans and the ineffectiveness of their college degrees when the economy literally hinges on rich people getting richer, not smart or hardworking people getting further in life.
“Trash is being taken out” – would that it were so, then a convicted felon with a history of racism, sexual deviance, money laundering, and a very cozy relationship with violent dictators would be gone. Alas. Perhaps you’ll join him and his cronies, but since you’re in the cult, you’ll just be ignored by them until you’re useful again (aka, election time).
I appreciate the time and thoughtfulness of this response. You are so right. The same people who sit at home barking “They Took Our Jobs” say nothing abut the AI being promoted by the Billionaires who have all fleeced the current administration and are as we speak putting Millions of Americans out of work- tens of Millions. In this environment those same Billionaires are buying all the media, own all the social platforms, and are using their AI to target people and feed them with a constant diet of hate, rascism, fascism, fear, and creating a doom-hate cycle that benefits none of us- only them. Thank you- please continue to comment!
“Trafficking in narcotics.” “Money laundering.” I know, it’s almost as if Hillsboro is Lake Oswego: https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/lake-oswego-resident-pleads-guilty-cocaine-trafficking-and-money-laundering
Though in Lake Oz, “a certain community is hiding their true intentions” and getting due process for “your failure to execute your illegal enterprises.”
“You stole our tax dollars. You didn’t contribute to the prosperity of America. You raided our food banks. You stole our merchandise. You raised our insurance, utilities and taxes. Depressed wages.” Honestly, this sounds like Lake Oswego again!
Stole tax dollars: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/owner-oregon-payroll-services-company-sentenced-more-two-years-prison-employment-tax-scheme
Didn’t contribute to the prosperity of America: https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/02/15/feds-to-seize-the-lake-oswego-office-building-of-disgraced-wealth-adviser/
Stole our merchandise (this one’s my favorite): https://www.wweek.com/news/2024/06/25/police-lay-out-the-workings-of-lake-oswegos-catalytic-converter-theft-ring/
You raised our insurance, utilities and taxes: https://www.thelundreport.org/content/lake-oswego-medical-device-company-faces-new-allegations-fraud-kickbacks
https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/former-lake-oswego-resident-sentenced-federal-prison-covid-relief-fraud
https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2021/08/25/most-of-portland-is-parched-but-these-20-hydro-hogs-are-making-it-rain/
Depressed wages: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8sXfNfA5La/
Boy it sure does seem as if “a certain community” always has its nose in everyone else’s business and hand in everyone else’s pocket. Wonder why they get the benefit of due process and not being yanked out of their Beemers in the middle of the Mercato Grove parking lot and others don’t?
https://x.com/OwenGregorian/status/1998026579587301834
This is what’s going on. This is what they are trying to hide. This is what’s coming. Oregon is up to its neck in this too. How much money did Hillsboro give this round to the NGO’s? $200 million? People should be scared they committed fraud, not because they were caught.
I think you have a few extra zeros in your numbers. I think Hillsboro is distributing 200,000 to 400,000 to a number of organizations. Not enought to really allow what your claiming. I for one waht all politicians held accountable. It is hard for anyone to pay much attention when the current President and his family and administration have fleeced Billions. It cuts both ways-and I want them all held accountable.
Please detail the fleecing you see from the current administration. And stealing my tax money is no big deal because it’s only $200-400 thousand to organizations who donate part of that money back to the democrat donors? That’s the standard? It’s all bad or all allowed. Sitting on the fence picking winners from outside the US is a losing strategy for the American people. You want to help someone from another country? By all means, go picket their government, go march at their rallies with them in their country, write letters, send money. Why do I have to pay for your decisions? Does it work the other way too because I could use a new driveway.
Exactly how many sea mines would you have placed around Ellis Island in the early 1900s?
Thank you ICE!! Looking forward to deportations picking up!
Most Americans don’t agree with these lunatics who unfortunately have platforms where you can’t tell the difference between them and radical NGO’s. They’re trying to make it where we can’t enforce ANY immigration laws after the Biden administration illegally let in anywhere in between 14-30 million people. This has caused significant damage to communities as residents have had to compete for housing, resources, and jobs. Not to mention the human/drug trafficking, cartels, murders, rapes, scams, burglary and other crimes that continually go uncovered…and at times terrorists attacks! You d*psh*s should be blaming the Biden administration as we wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for them and open border liberals like yourself. It doesn’t matter what color anyone is, you can’t have such a reckless agenda that hurts citizens and lawful migrants!
YOU don’t get to pick and choose which rules they enforce that are on the books-
I’m sure you’ll have some unhinged reply, with your precious key words: that I’m a racist and right winger…
so funny. Most likely you won’t post an opposing view because that’s how you roll.
Stop embarrassing yourself and get more balanced information. Branch out and get more information from various sources because you’re just one tunnel view of unbalanced crud!!!
Thanks for that very “balanced” outlook – and I see your in Medford. Medford is not Hillsboro. And can you please let us know when the Epstein Files are released? Seems that someone still will not let them out. There was nothing unbalanced about this article at all. People are in fact being taken off the strerts, from their homes, from our schools- no warrants, no badge numbers, no license plates on cars- in fact many of the arresting people have no license plates at all.These are the facts, all documented here in our community. I do not see any proof that more immigrants came into the US during 2020-2024 than the number that came in during 2017-2020- those are the facts as I just reearched. Remember for your own health, Fox News admitted in a court setlement that are not a News agency nor source, but rather an entertainment network. That is straight from the Mega Million dollar lawsuit they lost with Dominion and part of the terms of the settlement- Good luck in Medford. We are all Oregnians and have equal rights to freedom of expressions. Maybe there is someone down there you can pick on?
What was truly “shocking and upsetting” was that filthy mouth on that woman yelling obscenities at the officers. Such trouble makers need to stop harassing law enforcement doing their jobs.
Well, if they were law enforcement and lawfully acting I can understand your point. I think even you may be pushed to a profanity or two if you or yours were beaten, handcuffed or zip tied, and hauled off without so much as a badge number or warrant.
At what point do we as a community decide to take public defense into our own hands. It is clear that the police are unwilling. If we want it to stop, we have to take action. We have to organize and be extrajudicial. ICE is. This is a war, whether people want to recognize it or not.