Rep. Ricki Ruiz, D-Gresham, works on the House floor at the Oregon Capitol in Salem on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. (Photo by Amanda Loman/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers can’t enter someone’s home without a warrant, but that doesn’t stop agents from using tactics to get to people.
ICE agents have altered license plates and placed Mexican flag stickers on their vehicles to try to lure and detain people, NPR reported. And now, Oregon utilities are taking steps to ensure their customers don’t mistake ICE agents for their employees.
In December, NW Natural, a natural gas utility serving 2 million people in Oregon and southwest Washington, published guidance in seven different languages on how to identify if someone is actually one of their employees. Portland General Electric has similar guidance on its website.
NW Natural employees wear a uniform and a utility badge that says “contractor,” and they will never ask for immediate access to a customer’s home. Its workers usually ask for access to a back or side yard to access a meter, the guidance says.
NW Natural spokesperson David Roy said the company was made aware of incidents of people posing as utility workers and decided to issue the guidance.
“We translated the message in order to reach as many individuals and communities as possible,” Roy told the Capital Chronicle.
Rep. Ricki Ruiz, D-Gresham, said he was already concerned about scammers going door to door taking people’s money in his district, but he contacted NW Natural and Portland General Electric in December after hearing that three people in his city were detained after ICE agents posed as utility workers.
“They lured him out of his house, and they took him,” Ruiz said in an interview about the first instance he heard about.
Ruiz represents Oregon’s 50th House District, a diverse region that includes parts of East Portland and Gresham. According to census data, more than 16% of Gresham residents were born outside the U.S., and 44% of those residents are from Latin America.
ICE did not respond to the Capital Chronicle’s request for comment.
Oregon, particularly the Portland area, has been at the forefront of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, especially within the Portland metropolitan area. U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents revealed in court in early December that the federal government brought ICE agents from around the country to Portland as part of what they’re calling “Operation Black Rose.” Agents use advanced surveillance technology to locate and detain people, often stopping people in their vehicles and using violence, according to an analysis from Stephen Manning, the executive director of Portland-based immigration law firm Innovation Law Lab.
As the February 2026 short legislative session approaches, several Democratic lawmakers have indicated they plan to sponsor bills addressing federal immigration enforcement in the state. Ruiz said he will sponsor legislation to support lawsuits against federal agents if they come into a person’s home without warrants and a bill to prevent ICE agents from wearing masks.
“As a state representative, I get the great honor of representing my constituents not only as a Democrat,” Ruiz said. “I represent Republicans. I represent unaffiliated voters and I represent people who can’t vote.”
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