ICE Agents Detain Suspected Undocumented Immigrants In Raids

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 14: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), agents arrive to detain an immigrant on October 14, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.

(John Moore/News/Getty Images)

On Friday afternoon, Chief Tighe O'Meara posted on the Ashland Police Department Facebook page: "I offer this up to clarify a concern that has been brought up, not as a political statement, but as a statement of fact, and of re-assurance to the community: The entire State of Oregon is a 'sanctuary' state."

"That is," he continued, "by law, no state or local resources can be used to investigate or enforce non-criminal immigration matters. So APD officers cannot put any resources into this as a matter of law, nor can any other non-federal officers in the state of Oregon."

What Chief O'Meara was writing about is Oregon Revised Statute 181.850, which states, "No law enforcement agency of the State of Oregon or of any political subdivision of the state shall use agency moneys, equipment or personnel for the purpose of detecting or apprehending persons whose only violation of law is that they are persons of foreign citizenship present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws."

Good morning all, I hope you are looking forward to a nice (windy) weekend. I offer this up to clarify a concern that... Posted by Ashland Oregon Police Department on Friday, November 18, 2016

The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon has long argued that state law prevents immigration holds. But it wasn't until 2014 when several county sheriffs said they would stop holding undocumented immigrants solely for deportations, without a court order or warrant.

In practice, that means local and state law enforcement officials can't ask for documentation to verify the immigration status of a person that has not been arrested and they cannot arrest someone solely because they are in violation of immigration laws.

This also means that in many places low-level offenders who are undocumented are released, even though federal law technically states that local police "shall" hold them for deportation.

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to withhold money from cities that do not cooperate with these federal laws, which has caused many so-called "sanctuary" cities and states -- including the future mayor of Portland as well as several Oregon universities and Portland schools -- to renew their commitment to the movement.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker