City News, POLITICS, PUBLIC SAFETY

Salem police chief promises his officers won’t cooperate with immigration enforcement

Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack reassured residents in a public statement Thursday that his agency will not enforce immigration laws as the Trump administration has promised a mass deportation of immigrants.

Womack’s message, also released in Spanish, said his officers will keep up their longstanding policy of not asking anyone about their immigration status and deny requests for cooperation from federal immigration authorities. 

The Salem chief issued the statement, he said, to ease “the anxiety or confusion some may feel due to the increased enforcement by federal agencies.”

“This is also not the first time fears of Salem police participation in immigration enforcement have risen in our community,” he said. “Now, as always, we will stay true to our mission of protecting our entire community regardless of anyone’s immigration status. This means that if you are a crime victim or witness, you can and should come forward without fear.”

His message comes as the Trump administration is commissioning what it recently described as “the largest massive deportation operation in history.” Since Donald Trump took office, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have planned or made arrests during raids throughout the U.S., including in Philadelphia, Miami and New Jersey.

Oregon’s so-called “sanctuary” laws forbid local and state officers from participating in immigration enforcement unless forced to do so by a federal judge’s order.

In 1987, Oregon became the first U.S. state to pass a statewide law stopping local agencies from helping federal authorities enforce immigration laws, according to the state Department of Justice. The law has since been updated several times, most recently through the Sanctuary Promise Act of 2021.

Womack said the Salem Police Department has not received any requests for help from federal immigration officials. “If we do, we will deny, document and properly report that request to the state,” he said.

READ IT: The chief’s statement in Spanish and English

“I highly applaud the chief of police. Trust is the foundation of good policing, and if we aren’t able to make sure our communities are reporting crimes, that’s really dangerous for everybody,” said Reyna Lopez, executive director of Oregon’s farmworker union, PCUN, in an interview. “My hat really goes off to them that they’re rejecting the administration’s harmful efforts to divide Oregon families.”

Womack’s statement comes as many local organizations serving immigrant families say they’re seeing an uptick in unfounded rumors and reports about Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Salem.

Levi Herrera-Lopez, executive director of Mano a Mano, a Salem-based nonprofit that predominantly serves immigrant and Latino families, said so far, they have not seen any changes to federal immigration operations in Oregon. Enforcement actions have been targeted arrests of specific people, not raids.

“We’re trying to reassure people of what is true right now rather than the noise that’s out there,” he said. 

Immigration enforcement often involves only civil proceedings, like deportation, without criminal charges. Being present in the U.S. without legal status is not a crime, though entering the country without authorization is. People can be criminally prosecuted for immigration violations in some circumstances, such as re-entering the U.S. illegally after being deported once already.

Under Salem police policy, officers generally should not notify federal immigration officials when booking arrested people into jail.

READ IT: Salem police policy on immigration enforcement

Oregonians can report what they believe are violations of the Sanctuary Promise Act to the state Department of Justice. They can do so on the DOJ’s website, by calling the hotline 1-844-924-7829, or through the Spanish direct line 1-844-626-7276. More information about such violations is available on the state agency’s website.

READ IT: DOJ explanation of the Sanctuary Promise in Spanish and English

If a Salem police employee violates such laws or department policy, Womack encouraged people to file a report with his agency’s Professional Standards Unit online, available in Spanish and English, or by phone at 503-588-6160, also in Spanish or English.

“Let’s not let this or any other issue jeopardize the trusting relationships we’ve worked so hard to build together,” Womack said. “Rather, let’s turn this into an opportunity to increase shared understanding and trust in support of a safer community for everyone.”

Managing Editor Rachel Alexander contributed reporting.

Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.

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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.