Oregon authorities log 246% rise in immigration enforcement requests over past year
Attorney General Dan Rayfield speaks to a Salem City Club member after his speech at the Willamette Heritage Center in Salem on Sept. 12, 2025. The Oregon Department of Justice fields complaints about potential violations of the stateβs sanctuary law, the subject of a recent annual report. (Photo by Laura Tesler/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Federal immigration officials asked Oregonβs law enforcement agencies for support at least 329 times over the past year, marking a sharp rise in potential vulnerabilities in the stateβs sanctuary protections.
Oregonβs Criminal Justice Commission released the annual figures last week in collaboration with Oregonβs Department of Justice, which operates a hotline for Oregonians to report instances when law enforcement or public bodies in the state assist with immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant.Β
The data shows that federal immigration officials sought assistance from Oregon law enforcement 329 times between June 1, 2025 and May 31, marking a 246% increase over the prior year which recorded 95 instances of requested assistance.
The findings come as a Salem courthouse arrest in March by federal immigration agents overseen by the Marion County Sheriffβs Office without a judicial warrant appears to have violated the stateβs 2021 sanctuary law.Β Β
The incident raised questions about whether Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield has any authority to punish law enforcement agencies in the state or compel them to operate in a different manner. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Rayfield have signaled support for updating the stateβs sanctuary laws to include stronger protections and enforcement, such as through empowering the attorney general to sue law enforcement agencies who violate sanctuary protections.Β
Oregon law enforcement agencies are allowed to release information under a court order or if it is public, such as release dates of adults in custody with the Oregon Department of Corrections. But state law otherwise directs them to ignore federal immigration authoritiesβ requests. The report notes at least two instances in the past year in which agencies offered federal authorities information under an administrative warrant signed by immigration officials rather than a warrant signed by a judge.
The report does not offer recommendations on how to prevent this from happening in the future.
βThe ODOJ is committed to supporting individuals targeted in violations of Oregonβs sanctuary laws, as such targeting can result in the silencing and erasure of community members, the systematic removal of people from this country, dividing families, depriving people of safety and access to important state and local government programs and support, and undercutting opportunity and education,β the report reads.