Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained at least one person in Forest Grove on Oct. 17, Adelante Mujeres confirmed to News in the Grove.
It is one incident among many amid a spike in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in western Washington County, according to the Oregon for All coalition, an immigration support coalition. Adelante Mujeres is one of more than 100 member organizations.
"We have seen a massive uptick in ICE presence and detentions, including in Washington County in the past week—specifically Hillsboro, Forest Grove, Cornelius, and Beaverton," Adelante Mujeres Director of Communications Elizabeth Aguilera said in an email to News in the Grove.
Adelante Mujeres is a Forest Grove-based nonprofit with a variety of programs focused on helping Latine families in western Washington County, including access to an immigration attorney and legal services for immigrants.
“In the past week, ICE operations in Washington County have escalated. I urge everyone to raise their voices," said Adelante Mujeres Executive Director Bridget Cooke, who also cofounded the organization in 2002. "Support immigrant families and the organizations that offer counsel, resources, and sanctuary. Stand in public witness. Attend town halls, speak at hearings, show up in solidarity. Protect local businesses and jobs. Encourage neighbors to shop in immigrant–owned and immigrant-serving businesses. Cultivate community care. Build networks of neighbors who look out for one another, share alerts, offer rides, translation and emotional support," Cooke said.
"We are united in protecting our communities from those who try to divide us. Immigrant and refugee Oregonians are our family, friends, neighbors, classmates, and colleagues—part of what makes Oregon strong and beautiful. All of our community members deserve to be safe from harassment,” Cooke added.
Forest Grove School District issues letter on ICE presence in Forest Grove, Cornelius
The day before, Forest Grove School District Superintendent Dr. Suzanne West had issued a letter to district parents outlining the district's response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.
"We are aware of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Washington County, including incidents within our own neighborhoods," West said in the Oct. 16 letter sent via the district's ParentSquare platform and published on the district's website Oct. 20.
"While ICE has not entered any Forest Grove School District schools, their presence, and the sudden loss of a family member for some in our community, has deeply affected students, neighbors, and staff," West said.
"Regardless of where we each stand on immigration, this moment calls for compassion and care for those directly impacted," West said.
In a now-deleted video posted to social media reviewed by News in the Grove, law enforcement vehicles could be seen parked with their lights flashing at the intersection of Pacific Avenue and Quince in Forest Grove.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office told News in the Grove the county's dispatch center had received a phone call at 5:29 a.m. Oct. 17 from someone asking about the law enforcement activity at the intersection.
Representatives from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Oregon State Police, and the Forest Grove Police Department told News in the Grove that none of their agencies were believed to be operating in the area at the time.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to a request for comment.
Oregon's law enforcement agencies and other public bodies are prohibited from participating in federal immigration enforcement in most cases.
"Oregon was the first state in the nation to pass a statewide law stopping state and local police and government from helping federal authorities with immigration enforcement," according to a guidance page on Oregon's sanctuary laws from the Oregon Department of Justice.
"We are committed to supporting our students, supporting our parents, supporting the laws of the State of Oregon and the Constitution of the United States," Forest Grove School Board Director Pete Truax said during an Oct. 18 in-person interview with News in the Grove.
"Those kinds of things aren't play toys," he said. "Students deserve a right to an education without threat to their lives or safety. It's as simple as that," he said.
