Oregon governor signs slew of bills protecting immigrants amid federal crackdown

Oregon, a sanctuary state, already has some of the most comprehensive immigration protection laws. 

The new laws, however, represent the state’s response to a series of controversial federal actions in late 2025 and earlier this year. That includes President Donald Trump’s attempted deployment of the National Guard to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, federal agents launching an operation across the Willamette Valley with a quota to detain at least eight people a day, often without warrants and wearing masks, and several instances of federal agents arresting individuals taking their children to the hospital or school. 

“To those in Washington, D.C., who think they can bully Oregon into abandoning our values and neighbors, you got it wrong,” Kotek said at a bill signing ceremony in Portland. “Oregon is not staying quiet, and we are not backing down.” 

Democratic lawmakers and advocates during the 2026 legislative session coined the group of bills as the “immigrant justice package.” Kotek had 30 business days to sign the package into law following the end of the session that adjourned March 6. 

The laws affirm that dignity and safety aren’t privileges, they are rights, said Ira Cuello-Martinez, policy advocacy director for Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, Oregon’s farmworker union. PCUN, now the state’s largest Latino organization, has advocated for agricultural workers and Latino families for more than 40 years.

“For many in our communities, this is deeply important and personal,” he said. “It signals that their lives, their families and their futures matter.”

Reinforcing protections for previously protected spaces

One law, Senate Bill 1594, directs the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement to create statewide model policies relating to citizenship or immigration status that can be used in response to federal actions.

Three laws are related to protections for immigrants in hospitals and schools — places that were previously protected under the Obama and Biden administration against federal immigration enforcement. Trump rescinded those protections at the start of his second presidency.

House Bill 4079 requires school districts and colleges to develop an alert system to notify students and parents if federal agents appear on school property. Senate Bill 1538 adds immigration status as a protected class under anti-discrimination laws that govern Oregon’s K-12 schools. 

Similarly, Senate Bill 1570 requires hospitals to create guidelines for staff to follow if federal immigration agents appear on hospital grounds. It requires hospitals to designate which areas are closed to the public, and it orders that hospital staff treat immigration status or a person’s country of birth similar to protected health information. It also prohibits hospitals from retaliating against employees who share with patients informational materials on legal immigration services. 

“Because of our work, a dad will feel safer taking his daughter to the emergency room…” said Rep. Willy Chotzen, D-Portland. “A fourth grader will feel safer going to school, knowing that there’s a plan in place if ICE shows up.”

Addressing federal overreach

Two laws address concerns that federal immigration agents are overstepping their authority. 

House Bill 4114 creates a civil cause of action against people who enter certain property without a warrant or legal exception, and House Bill 4138 requires that all law enforcement officers operating in Oregon, regardless of whether they are a federal or out-of state agency, clearly identify themselves and limit the use of masks except for medical purposes, undercover operations or SWAT assignments. 

Portland Police Bureau Assistant Chief Brian Hughes, who was filling in for Chief Bob Day, celebrated the bills getting signed into law. The most important work happens when community members trust the police, he said.

“The fact that law enforcement leaders from across Oregon collaborated on this bill signing is a statement in and of itself, a statement about who we are, what we value and the kind of partnership that makes safer communities possible,” Hughes said. 

Data protection

The remaining laws aim to protect the privacy and data of immigrants in Oregon. 

House Bill 4111 bars the use of a party’s or witness’s immigration status as evidence in civil cases. It also makes it unlawful for employers to retaliate against workers attempting to update their employment authorization status. 

And Senate Bill 1587 prohibits public agencies from sharing personally identifiable information with data brokers unless the broker guarantees it will not be used for federal immigration enforcement or if there is a court order. 

Rep. Lesly Muñoz, D-Woodburn, said Thursday’s bill signing was deeply personal to her as the daughter of immigrants. The package is a declaration that immigrant and refugee communities are an important part of Oregon, she said. 

“They help make this country thrive,” she said. “They work in our fields, in our restaurants, in our homes, in our schools and in our small businesses. They contribute not only their labor and entrepreneurship, but they’re also taxpayers who help support our schools, our roads, our health care system and our services and beyond.”

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