The Real Story – A Column
Next Tuesday, Hillsboro area residents have a chance to return to the Hillsboro City Hall and listen to a follow-up worksession at 6 PM, and a chance to speak to the Council at 7 PM – will this meeting be fireworks? Yes- we expect that. An #ICE protest rally is planned for 5:30PM in the Tom Hughes Civic Plaza prior to the meetings. More info is located here https://hillsboro-oregon.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Id=19249
Please read to the Bottom for some late-breaking additions to this story
Speaker after speaker voiced the same urgent plea:
“Declare a State of Emergency.”
While Forest Grove and Washington County responded to similar fears this past week with swift and decisive action — each declaring official states of emergency — Hillsboro has taken a much slower, more cautious path. As of this writing, Hillsboro has not issued an emergency declaration.
Mayor Pace Responds: “If we could stop ICE, we would.”
Mayor Beach Pace addressed the community directly, acknowledging both the legal limits and the emotional depth of the testimony:
“The first thing that everyone in our community should know is that if we had the power to legally stop ICE, we would stop ICE,” said Mayor Beach Pace.
“The City Council is united in that. But we don’t have that power because of the Supremacy Clause in the U.S. Constitution. We cannot interfere with federal agents. If we could, we would stop ICE.”
Pace continued:
“Our community’s comments were incredibly moving and emotional. We remain united as a City Council in our desire to support our community… We’ve also received feedback to stop talking about what we cannot do and discuss what we can do.”
Hillsboro’s Response So Far: Community Grants and a November 18 Work Session
During the November 4 meeting, the City Council confirmed $200,000 in new grant funding to support families and businesses impacted by ICE activity.
The grant application is now open to Community-Based Organizations (Non-Profits) serving immigrant and vulnerable residents:
- Application deadline: November 17 at 11:59 pm
- Total funds available: $200,000
- Application link:
Biddingo Portal - Meeting recap and City information:
City of Hillsboro News Update
City leadership has also scheduled a November 18 work session to consider additional measures.
How Forest Grove and Washington County Responded — and Why It Matters
Forest Grove: Swift, Unanimous Action
Six days after Hillsboro’s meeting, the Forest Grove City Council voted unanimously to declare a State of Emergency. Their resolution explicitly acknowledged:
- ICE activity is destabilizing the community
- Residents are afraid to leave their homes
- Children are at risk
- A public health emergency exists
The declaration unlocked $50,000 for immediate support services.
Residents reported feeling safer and “seen,” even though the declaration cannot legally stop ICE.
Washington County: Two Emergencies Declared
On the same day Hillsboro hesitated, Washington County declared two states of emergency:
- Immigration Enforcement Emergency
- SNAP/Food Insecurity Emergency
The County cited:
- 135 ICE arrests in October alone
- widespread fear preventing daily activities
- traumatic impacts across the region
They freed $450,000 in emergency aid.
So, Why Won’t Hillsboro Declare an Emergency?
Based on city behavior and political history, several factors appear to be at play:
- Branding and image: Hillsboro is protective of its tech-center identity and may worry about headlines signaling instability.
- Reluctance to confront federal agencies: Other jurisdictions named ICE activity as a crisis; Hillsboro has avoided doing so.
- Preference for “quiet operations” over public declarations: Hillsboro management culture favors internal actions over symbolic statements.
- Hesitation to activate emergency powers: Emergency declarations allow rapid spending and flexible authority — tools Hillsboro may be cautious to use.
The Emotional Difference: What Residents Feel
In Forest Grove and Washington County, emergency declarations provided:
- validation of community fear
- a public commitment to protect residents
- faster access to support
- a psychological buffer in a time of crisis
Many Hillsboro residents, by contrast, walked out on November 4 feeling:
- unseen
- unprotected
- dismissed
- left to fend for themselves
What Comes Next
All eyes are now on Hillsboro’s November 18 work session. The City still has the option to declare a State of Emergency — aligning itself with neighboring jurisdictions and delivering the symbolic and practical support residents say they desperately need. I expect Counselor Cristian Salgado to once again push for this Humanitarian and Civil Rights Resolution, and for Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair to propose a measure that will require the City of Hillsboro to codify its municipal codes and formally apply them to all properties and buildings owned by the City of Hillsboro. This is a complex issue, but in essence, there are no guarantees that specific laws and codes are being followed or applied at our city-owned properties. More on this over the weekend.
But the longer Hillsboro waits, the wider the gap grows between those who feel protected by their government… and those who do not.
In moments of crisis, the choice to speak — or to stay silent — becomes the message.
Next Up: Hillsboro Police. ICE. FLOCK cameras.
What data is being shared? Who is being watched?
Are residents protected — or targeted?
The answers are coming.
And, a MEMO that has sent chills through City Hall
Count the employees at Hillsboro City Hall and other City-owned buildings among those now living in fear. The Hillsboro Herald has just received a memo from a City Employee, which provides all City Staff with specific legal instructions regarding ICE agents, their access to City properties, and the rules that staff members must now adhere to. Some of these demands are chilling. The person contacting me said many staff are now fearful and feeling unsafe. This will require a news story over the weekend, but here is a touchpoint.
“Employees should not film or record ICE.”
To staff, this comes across as:
“Don’t document abuses.”
“Don’t hold anyone accountable.”
“Protect the City, not the people.”
This strikes at the heart of public trust.
The Most Disturbing and Stressful Parts for City Staff
Staff are explicitly told NOT to protect people — even in terrifying situations.
Several sections hammer this message repeatedly:
Staff cannot interfere with ICE under any circumstances.
Staff cannot help anyone escape, slow ICE down, use back doors, or hide people.
Staff must not record ICE, even if ICE is armed, masked, or acting aggressively.
Staff cannot warn the public if they are aware that ICE activity is occurring.
Staff cannot even answer questions from scared residents.
These are the things that scare and demoralize workers.
People enter public service to help, not stand by silently while community members are taken.
We can see that the Lawyers, led by City Attorney Chad Jacobs, are hard at work protecting the brand- the Hillsboro Corporate brand. And the fact that the Corporation is now legally restricting and shackling its own workers only further causes distrust with our residents.
The house is on fire, and no one in power is going to put it out is something more does not happen.
Let’s break it down:
“Branding and image: Hillsboro is protective of its tech-center identity and may worry about headlines signaling instability.” Let’s remember the presence of the “Washington County” Chamber at the last meeting and their sage advice to just get over your fear and shop already.
“Reluctance to confront federal agencies: Other jurisdictions named ICE activity as a crisis; Hillsboro has avoided doing so.” Guess who has an airport and a brand new National Guard facility?
:Preference for “quiet operations” over public declarations: Hillsboro management culture favors internal actions over symbolic statements.” Know how land planning by the city doesn’t typically make noise until the moment they ask Salem for a boundary expansion, yet maps and plans show up to those meetings as if they existed somewhere for months, if not years? Yeah, “quiet operations” often equates to “complete lack of transparency.”
“Hesitation to activate emergency powers: Emergency declarations allow rapid spending and flexible authority — tools Hillsboro may be cautious to use.” Hey, no need to be hasty with rapid spending and flexible authority. It’s not as if we’re trying to fund a minor-league ballpark.
I went rounds with people over the Chamber and the lengthy testimony, and the message to “get back to shopping no matter what” targeted the people who are most at risk. And the City staff (Beach) gave them so much bandwidth that they didn’t even have Chief Coleman speak until the crowd had dispersed, after 10 PM. Regarding the Airport, ICE was operating Blackhawks out of there. Now, pictures of ICE agents going up in Blue Choppers are coming to light. What sort of equipment is ICE using from those choppers to hunt people? We have reports of people here in he community aiding and supporting ICE. Funding – RIGHT! $18,000,000 for a Ball Park and the loss of our kids’ fields was not even a question. However, as far as helping people, we can probably raise around $ 400,000. 400K, all right, on point, as always. Thanks, Jason.
Please don’t talk on points you are uneducated about, aka any sort of airport operations. I have worked at that airport for 20 years, and hopefully another 20 more. Blackhawks have been coming to the Hillsboro airport for decades, they are doing military training missions, it has absolutely nothing to do with ICE activity. And aero air does not operate “blue choppers.” All you’re doing is spreading more unnecessary fear into citizens who are already in fear, and passing your opinion off as fact.
Let me make this clear- NO one knows if it was Aero Air or Hillsboro Helicopter or whomever. Employees at the Airpost have reported ICE going out in Helicpoters – blue choppers. We have photos in our possession of blue Homeland Security Helipoters at Hillsboro Airport going up with agents and teams. The report I have indicated it was Aero-Air.
Thank you for the analysis. Those are good points.
This is all beyond ridiculous. This is a slap in the face to hard working Americans who you continue to increase taxes on us every single year. To spend on people you have no duty or legal right to spend it on.