Council passes resolution, ‘statement of concern’ regarding ICE impacts

THE DALLES — Residents quickly filled a larger-than-normal chamber for the city council’s meeting on Jan. 12, which was held in The Dalles Middle School cafeteria in anticipation of high turnout.

With little deliberation, the council unanimously passed Resolution 26-002, formally acknowledging the negative impacts caused by heightened U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the area, and directing City Manager Matthew Klebes to pursue certain community support actions.

At its Dec. 8 meeting, the council heard from multiple speakers expressing deep concern over ICE’s footprint, including the arrest of one individual inside Home Depot on Nov. 30, as reported by Columbia Gorge News. Commenters, many representing the Latino community, urged city officials to issue a public statement demonstrating support for families burdened by such activity and consider further action within their jurisdiction.

Since the city cannot prevent or control federal enforcement in publicly accessible areas, its response can only address the fallout, including “fear, uncertainty, misinformation and confusion, all of which can affect access to services, community stability and public safety,” Klebes said. “We can respond to those local impacts by partnering and coordinating with community members and service providers.”

Thus, in crafting Resolution 26-002, city staff launched a comprehensive readiness campaign to assess all actions they could take, meeting with representatives from Next Door Inc., One Community Health and citizens such as Omar Perez, a volunteer organizer with Latinos Unidos The Dalles.

“We looked at what other cities have been doing throughout the Pacific Northwest, had conversations with the city manager of Hood River, gathered materials from the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District, had internal listening sessions with a Latino employee affinity group and conducted outreach with both Northern Oregon Regional Corrections (NORCOR) and the city municipal judge,” Klebes added.

The resolution

The consequent resolution encompasses four key items. First, a statement of concern, acknowledging ICE’s impact and reaffirming the city’s commitment to accessible municipal services, while also working to set accurate expectations about the city’s limited authority.

Second, a commitment to communication and information sharing, including addressing any confusion or misinformation, and a direction to improve fact-based public communication and internal coordination among city operations.

Third: exploration of financial partnerships, chiefly The Next Door Inc. and One Community Health, with a specific focus on the impacts children and families may be experiencing.

Finally, a focus on staff training and internal readiness to ensure they understand the protocols for sensitive questions and requests while receiving consistent guidance on operational issues during this time.

The resolution directs Klebes to provide the council with a written update within 30 days of adoption, to be presented at a regular city council meeting. It has no budget implications, neither appropriating funds nor authorizing any expenditures, instead directing the council to explore such options down the road.

Public comment

Thirteen individuals spoke during the meeting’s public comment period, and while nearly all were in favor of the resolution — a modest but welcome step forward in consensus — there was a clear desire for further action. 

The Next Door Inc. Executive Director Janet Hamada, who spoke at the previous meeting, thanked the council for listening to community concerns and acknowledged the time and effort Klebes and staff put into drafting the resolution. “I really appreciate when one of our cities takes the chance to look into the issue and respond accordingly,” Hamada said. “This is an issue that is instilling fear, isolation, depression and anxiety amongst our kids.”

Mary Jo Comerford, a former teacher at The Dalles High School, also encouraged the council to approve the resolution, underscoring the heavy toll ICE’s presence has placed on Latino students, who make up nearly half of the city’s student body. “What high school senior should be both filling out college applications and making plans if their parents are taken away?” Comerford said. “No matter where you stand in immigration reform or the politics of this moment, our Latino students should not be bearing the weight of this on their shoulders. It’s not their jobs.”

Lisa AbuAssaly George, the executive director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC), compared the terror ICE instills in Latino students with the fear she felt as an Arab-American student following 9/11, and encouraged the council to build on their resolution. “We need guarantees that city police will not work with ICE … that ICE is not welcome on city property to stage operations,” she said. “That they will be asked to leave if they do so, and the full weight of city authority will come down if ICE even thinks about overstepping their already expansive, so-called legal, power here.”

Emily Whitfield, graduate of Cornell College, warned of the dangerous language exhibited by Vice President JD Vance, who proclaimed that ICE agents have “absolute immunity” shortly following the killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. She then challenged why The Dalles hasn’t released a statement regarding federal overreach and laid out a series of questions for the city’s consideration.

“Are you willing to pass a resolution affirming that the city will not cooperate with illegal federal activity and all other federal overreach that puts our residents at risk?” Whitfield said. “Are you willing to provide a clear public explanation of your public service policies — what local enforcement will and will not participate in when they step in and under whose authority?”

Former police officer Bill Lennox harshly condemned the behavior of federal agents nationwide, who’ve been approaching people solely based on skin color, he said, and challenged the council to “speak louder and be clearer” about its position on the matter. Tim Schectel labeled ICE’s actions as a “reign of terror” and made a simlar request: “I hope we come back in 30 days and we have a good report about what you’re going to do,” he said.

William Perry Thurston was the only speaker throughout the evening who wasn’t explicitly anti-ICE, though he didn’t offer an opinion on the resolution itself. “Laws are not emotional,” Thurston said. “There are rules that need to be followed before you come into this country.”

Finally, Perez asked the council to acknowledge a series of incidents that have occurred since its last meeting. On Dec. 30, an individual who was brought to the United States at a very young age was taken by ICE in The Dalles, leaving behind a 7-month-old baby with one parent, as reported by Columbia Gorge News. Later that week, Perez explained, multiple people called to report that an individual near Denny’s was posing as an immigration agent, blocking the only exit for vehicles and asking people for their documents.

“These incidents have only compounded anxiety, particularly in light of national events,” Perez said. “Change is needed, and it’s needed now, and we urge you to take steps that build trust, protect everyone’s rights and reassure all residents that our city is a place where we are safe and included.”

Council response

Councilor Scott Randall expressed support for the resolution and reiterated the city’s lack of authority regarding federal enforcement and immigration laws.

“I think it strikes a good balance between our humanitarian values and respect for the rule of law,” he said. “It acknowledges our duty to serve our community, but also our limited authority to prevent certain outcomes.”

Next, Councilor Dan Richardson, who spearheaded support for a city statement at the Dec. 8 meeting, described the resolution as a thoughtful start, and thanked commenters for expressing their concerns.

“This resolution is a very modest response to very big issues, to federal overreach, to violence,” Richardson said. “It’s not enough in that sense, but it’s something we can do here in our city.”

After 26-002 passed unanimously, Mayor Rich Mays addressed the chamber in gratitude. “I’m very proud of the city council,” he said. “I’m also very proud of this community and all of you who showed up.”