Dozens of Salem residents in the last two weeks spoke with passion to city officials about why they want action to address increasing immigration enforcement and support for people affected by it.

Some shared stories of their family histories with immigration as they stepped before the Salem City Council in live session Monday night. Others talked about their peers at school fearing for their parents’ safety. Many voiced frustration over the lack of city action to condemn reported unlawful arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Over two recent council sessions, around 60 people spoke, calling for the city to declare a state of emergency over increased ICE activity and arrests around Salem in the last two months.

Following about two hours of such testimony, the council voted 6-3 to declare an emergency, directing the city to search for money to provide services for people affected by immigration arrests and deportation.

WATCH IT: Dec. 1 Salem City Council meeting

Some people mentioned a recent letter Attorney General Dan Rayfield and several district attorneys notifying federal authorities that Oregon plans to investigate potential criminal conduct by federal agents that goes beyond their duties.

The letter cited several reports that federal agents have used excessive force in detaining people and in responding to protesters around Oregon.

Testimony at Monday’s meeting often mentioned a list of demands put forward by Latinos Unidos Siempre, a local youth grassroots organization. The demands included that the city allocate $300,000 for people affected by ICE arrests and deportation and Salem police officers to enforce traffic violations by ICE agents.

What they said:

“ICE agents refer to themselves as police and as federal law enforcement agents, but in reality, they are neither. Police exist to serve and protect our residents from crime, not to terrorize communities by grabbing and hauling off innocent men, women and children to inaccessible gulags, denying them their constitutional right to due process.” – Thomas Ellis

“Our constitutional rights are being gravely tested by recent federal actions which have placed residents here in Salem, both citizens and noncitizens alike, at risk for being detained without due process … Federal agents have even placed local and state law enforcement officers in harm’s way. Clearly, we want safe, strong and thriving communities and that involves standing for the rule of law and holding all parties accountable, including federal agents.” – State Sen. Deb Patterson, D-Salem

“Funds are needed to provide families emergency relief and legal support, a basic constitutional right that is being denied to our migrant families. We are not asking for free money. We are demanding an investment from our tax dollars that our migrant workers contribute to in Salem. Despite paying taxes, undocumented workers do not have access to public benefits, health care or even a retirement fund. We are demanding that this city invest back the money our migrant workers pay into to support our families in this crisis.” – Sandra Hernandez, director of Latinos Unidos Siempre

“A couple weeks ago, we were in lockdown for two hours. When the alarm goes off, it is my job to sweep my hall and pull in all my students in the vicinity with urgency … I don’t pause to ask questions, and I do not debate whether they are worthy of my safe haven. In that moment, all I see is their humanity, and as their teacher, my role to protect them. This is what you need to do in this emergency situation. The alarm has been pulled and voiced by thousands of community members, black, brown and white alike.” – Autumn Breitwieser, teacher at McKay High School

“I know the gang task force that Salem PD had was recently disbanded and it’s somewhat ironic that now we basically have lawless gangs roaming our streets, but they call themselves federal officers and our local police department apparently can do nothing about it, according to (city attorney) Dan Atchison’s memo. So since it is only going to be us residents trying to protect each other here, we need you to reallocate funds to support us.” – Rachael Atchison. The city attorney’s memo addressed questions from the Nov. 24 meeting where people called for Salem police to arrest ICE agents reported to be breaking local laws and violating people’s rights.

A Salem resident who shared an account of getting a call from someone she knew on Saturday saying that he believed federal agents were following him while working:

“He was being chased by two cars, as many of you keep on saying, they are following criminals. He is here legal, he is here on a working permit. He was basically hiding for an hour in Beaverton … He has no criminal activity. He’s been following up with his appointments to get his green card. So again, I tell you guys, they are not following criminals. They are just following any person they find at the gas station, anyone going to work, anyone, you know, doing the right thing and working for their legal status.” – Erika Villa 

“This looks good on paper but if these action items aren’t upheld and they aren’t done correctly, this is just going to be another document that gets lost in the mix. I’m hoping that you will bring stakeholders to the table … I’m hoping you will talk to the stakeholders and the people who are affected by this. If you sit down with the kids at LUS, they’re going to let you know what the community needs.” – Elise Strauss

“I hear a lot of people say that immigrants don’t have a right to the 14th amendment. Well, the 14th amendment distinguishes between citizens and persons, and it states that ‘no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process,’ not no citizen, it says no person. Since the federal government is failing us, we need to take it to our state and local leaders to protect people, which puts you in a bad position. As Councilor Matthews so very rightly pointed out that pragmatically the things that you can do are not effective, they cannot be effective against what the federal government is doing. You cannot make ICE stop, you cannot make them change the way they’re doing things, but what you can do is help pass on accurate information, you can put pressure on the federal representatives to stop the illegal actions that ICE is taking, what you can do is support all of us.” – Christina Ballard

“People are not investments. We don’t spend money on people to turn a profit. We spend money on people because they’re people. The purpose of government money, and by that read taxes, the purpose of government money, from (the) city all the way up to the federal levels, is to provide infrastructure and support for the people who live here. It’s not to generate profit. $300,000 for freedom from fear and want.” – Kimberly Reed Zauber

One Salem resident shared her experience living in California when police showed up to her home, pressured her to let them in and asked about a Mexican man they were seeking. She said they tried to get her to confess that she knew him or knew where he was:

“That incident scared the living daylights out of me, about the police, about my community and about my leaders. I can’t imagine how I would have responded if I would have known those cops could have used any amount of excessive force they wanted and not having to been held accountable. If they could have just busted in without a warrant. If they would never be held responsible for the way that they treated me … This, I think, is what makes a failed culture. It’s not the food that people eat. It’s not their religion or anything like that. It’s when certain members of the community, of the culture, are given impunity to act out on other members of the community the way we see ICE doing now.” – Kelley Nielsen

“I am here in support of ICE and I appreciate that they are trying to find criminals and remove them so that our citizens are safe. I recommend that we do more to help law-abiding noncitizens to be able to remain and become legal residents who contribute to our communities.” – Elizabeth Parks

“ICE is the remedy for the problem. ICE is not the problem … ICE is a constitutional and effective arm of the federal government to save us from people who have evil in mind for us and who have no legal grounds to be here. Why would we want to resist the qualified and authorized help that we need? If we do, it is at our own peril.” – Norman Parks

Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].

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