Oregon
GOP lawmakers target Oregon sanctuary laws, hoping to capitalize on immigration concerns
State Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson, R-Prineville, right, is one of two lawmakers who will attempt to roll back Oregon’s sanctuary laws next year.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
A pair of Republican lawmakers say they’ll attempt to roll back some of Oregon’s sanctuary protections next year, as the party signals it will highlight border security in this year’s election.
In a memo circulated earlier this week, state Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, and Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson, R-Prineville, wrote to Republican colleagues that Oregon has been “significantly impacted” by a surge of illegal entries at the nation’s southern border, “particularly through the influx of fentanyl and other illicit drugs…”
The solution, Knopp and Breese-Iverson say, is to make it easier for local law enforcement agencies and other Oregon public officials to collaborate with federal authorities to enforce immigration law.
The pair plans to introduce a longshot bill during next year’s session rolling back the so-called Sanctuary Promise Act. Passed in 2021 by Democrats who still hold majorities in both chambers, the law strengthened Oregon’s decades-old sanctuary protections, creating explicit prohibitions on local officials aiding federal immigration authorities.
“We are committed to bringing a repeal of the Sanctuary Promise Act in the 2025 legislative session,” the memo says. “Additionally, we believe it is essential to continue discussing and developing solutions that may go further to fully address this border crisis effectively.”
Oregon’s sanctuary law will be stronger than ever under newly passed bill
The memo is the latest sign that GOP lawmakers see the problems brought by an onrush of migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border as a winning political issue this fall. It comes as President Joe Biden this week took executive action to blunt criticisms his administration has been too soft on the issue.
Earlier this spring, a group of 16 Republicans — both sitting lawmakers and legislative candidates hoping to become lawmakers — traveled to Arizona in order to get a first-hand look at the state’s struggles with immigration. Such border pilgrimages have become common among Republicans around the country looking to knock Democrats’ stance on an issue that has risen to the top of voter concerns.
The strategy is not unique to one party. Oregon U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley traveled to the border in 2018 to highlight a policy by then-President Donald Trump that was separating migrant families.
Knopp and Breese-Iverson spearheaded the Arizona trip, and addressed their memo to those who attended. It included a rundown of other laws that Oregon lawmakers have passed in recent years, including millions set aside for grants to refugee resettlement agencies, and a bill that created a new state office to support immigrants and refugees.
“During our Arizona trip earlier this year, we repeatedly heard that ‘every state is a border state,’” the lawmakers wrote. “This has become increasingly relevant as the Biden administration appears to be taking executive action on the border this week. It is clear we must address the ongoing border crisis.”
Oregon Republicans to visit Arizona-Mexico border to learn about security issues
National polling suggests that immigration is a major concern for Americans — especially Republicans and nonaffiliated voters, who are key for GOP hopes to winning more power in the Beaver State.
Worries over how voter unease on the issue would play at the ballot box this year helped prompt Biden to issue an executive order earlier this week, making it more difficult for migrants to seek asylum in the U.S. at a time law enforcement officers are encountering thousands of migrants at the border every day.
While Republicans are not expected to retake either chamber of the Legislature in this year’s elections, the party is hopeful it can win back ground — particularly in the House, where Democrats hold a 35-25 majority. Republicans are also hoping to win at least one of three statewide offices that are up for grabs. Three of the state’s six congressional races — two with Democratic incumbents — are potentially competitive this year, as well.
But whether immigration is at the forefront of Oregonians’ minds right now is unclear.
Polling by Portland firm DHM research in April 2023 suggested that roughly half of Oregon voters think illegal immigration is a serious problem. But a majority of voters said at the time they supported Oregon keeping its status as a sanctuary state, and nearly 60% said immigration was a positive thing for the country.
As of last August, the issue hadn’t surfaced as a major concern for many Oregonians, said John Horvick, DHM’s senior vice president. Just 1% said in a survey that immigration is the most important problem facing the state.
“That doesn’t mean that Oregonians don’t care, but it’s not nearly as top of mind as a state issue compared to things like homelessness, drugs, and crime,” Horvick said.
Oregon voters trounced a 2018 ballot measure that would have rolled back the state’s sanctuary protections as they existed at that time, prior to the legislature beefing up the law in 2021.
Oregonians Vote To Keep State’s Sanctuary Law, Reject Measure 105
Any attempt to rollback sanctuary protections appears likely to meet a similar fate in the Legislature. The law Republicans hope to target had near-unanimous support from majority Democrats. Its sponsors included now-House Speaker Julie Fahey, D-Eugene.
Fahey did not respond to a request for comment about the GOP memo, and a number of other sponsors of the 2021 bill couldn’t be reached. Latino Network, a nonprofit that was a key backer of HB 3265, said it didn’t have immediate comment.
Knopp will no longer be a member of the Senate next year. He is barred from running for reelection after participating in a six-week walkout during the 2023 session. Knopp’s office said the lawmaker could still file a bill for next year prior to leaving office in January.
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Oregon officials asked the public to help find a two-year-old boy who went missing from Portland last Wednesday, June 17.
The Oregon Department of Human Services, Child Welfare Division, is asking the public to help find Armani Andrews and call 911 or local law enforcement if they believe they saw him.
Armani is believed to be in danger and is suspected to be in Portland, around any of the following areas: Rose Haven, Multnomah County Central Library, or Southeast Portland around 82nd-103rd.
Armani is a two-year-old Black/mixed race baby. He is about 24 inches tall, he has brown hair, brown eyes, and his weight is unknown.
If contacting Portland Police Bureau about Armani, reference the case number: #PP185430
The report number for Armani with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Report is: 2093182
ODHS said in a statement when a child is missing, they may be in significant danger and the department “may need to locate them to assess and support their safety.”
KATU News reached out to ODHS to clarify whether there is a custody aspect to the missing child’s case. The department said they are unable to provide that information.
Armani Andrews with Mother Rashonda Andrews/ODHS photos
You can report suspected child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233). The toll-free number allows anyone to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and every day of the year.
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KATU News included photographs of Armani to help the public identify and find him.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — President Donald Trump campaigned on carrying out what he called the largest deportation operation in American history.
After taking office, his administration quickly ramped up immigration enforcement. Border czar Tom Homan also pledged to focus on so-called sanctuary cities, including Portland. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, more than 675,000 people were deported in 2025, while the agency says more than 2 million people “self-deported.”
READ ALSO | Supreme Court hands Trump immigration wins, but birthright citizenship might be different
In Oregon, state data shows state and local agencies experienced a 265% increase in immigration-related requests from federal authorities last year.
So what does that mean for Oregon’s economy?
The state’s chief economist says the effects are beginning to emerge.
Carl Riccadonna, Oregon’s state economist, said immigration enforcement actions are influencing consumer spending and activity across several key industries, though the state cannot yet quantify the overall impact.
“What we’re seeing in terms of immigration action is playing out in either consumption patterns, which we’ve seen in some communities, or in industrial or sectoral activity,” Riccadonna said. “This does then have implications for how we are reading the overall macroeconomy and putting together that revenue forecast.”
Portland police officers walk outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Riccadonna said the effects extend beyond agriculture, an industry that has historically relied on immigrant labor.
“We have certainly, in sector-by-sector analysis, we’re hearing evidence of impacts from immigration in consumption numbers, so retail, groceries, those sorts of things,” Riccadonna said. “There are also significant impacts in the retail sector and leisure and hospitality, restaurants and construction, important legacy industries of Oregon like timber, forestry … and manufacturing has a very large footprint as well.”
While the state is seeing those trends, Riccadonna said economists cannot yet calculate exactly how much immigration enforcement has affected Oregon’s economy.
“We haven’t done an exercise to say, well, this is what the forecast would have been otherwise. We don’t produce counterfactuals … but there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence from the cherry harvest this past summer and stresses elsewhere throughout those specific sectors,” he said.
National data offers additional context.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the recent immigration surge — which the report says mostly comprises immigrants who were not lawful permanent residents, were not eligible to apply for lawful permanent residency based on their current status, and were not admitted on a temporary basis under the Immigration and Nationality Act — generated approximately $10 billion in state and local tax revenue in 2023. During that same period, governments spent nearly $19 billion on services such as schools, shelters and border security.
A damaged car is seen as law enforcement officials work the scene following reports that federal immigration officers shot and wounded people in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
The Congressional Budget Office also projects the immigration surge that began in 2023 will increase the U.S. labor force by approximately 5.8 million people by 2034 and boost the nation’s economic output by nearly $9 trillion over the next decade.
Riccadonna said Oregon expects to gain a clearer picture of the economic effects as more tax and revenue data becomes available.
This story is part of KATU’s “The Cost of the Crackdown” special, which examines how increased immigration enforcement is affecting Oregon, from businesses and workers to the state’s broader economy.
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