The Washington County Board of Commissioners voted to declare two separate states of emergency in response to federal actions at a Nov. 4 board meeting, one over SNAP funding and the other over a sharp increase in ICE activity in the county.
Both declarations were adopted unanimously.
Food insecurity emergency declaration
The county's declaration, issued in response to uncertainty and delays in SNAP funding, allocates up to $250,000 in contingency funds to be distributed to food assistance providers throughout Washington County, the county said.
"The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ("SNAP") serves as a critical
lifeline for thousands of Washington County residents, helping families, seniors, and individuals afford nutritious food and maintain stability during times of economic hardship," the county's emergency declaration said.
The declaration is effective immediately and expires Dec. 31, 2025.
The county noted that Washington County residents who rely on the program to feed their families did not see benefits on November 1.
"This could lead to a disruption in food support for as many as 57,000 people in Washington County," the county said in an agenda item document prepared for the board.
The declaration also allows the county administrator to suspend or modify county administrative policies needed to implement the declaration.
The funds would need to be replenished in the 2026-2027 fiscal budget.
"We are choosing to spend money from our reserves," Washington County District 3 Commissioner Jason Snider said during Tuesday's board meeting.
"That's not a decision that we take lightly," he said. "I think we look at the situation very seriously and the threat to our community and the most vulnerable people in our community and are therefore making this decision now at one point in time, and that is where the funding comes from," he said. "It is not just money we have sitting around," he added.
"Food insecurity is a real thing in Washington County," District 2 Commissioner Pam Treece said. "We also recognize that this action does not eliminate food insecurity, but we are doing our best to make sure that we can be a partner with others in addressing these issues," Treece added.
"I am deeply disappointed and concerned about the federal government, and the position that the federal government has put our local agencies in to require this type of action," Treece said.
"This is not what our reserves have ever been intended for, but we stand ready to support our communities when needed," she added.
District 1 Commissioner Nafisa Fai said food insecurity was being worsened by ICE activity in Washington County.
"People are afraid to go out of their houses," she said, making it difficult to get groceries or go to work to earn money for essentials.
Fai said the board's emergency declaration and funding of up to $250,000 was better than nothing, but that she hoped for further action on the matter.
"I came to this country as a refugee myself, and utilized county services," Fai, who was born in Somalia, said.
"This is when you need your local government to step up for you, and help you," Fai said.
"We are all elected by the very residents that we're talking about being starved," Fai added.
President Donald Trump's administration previously said SNAP benefits would halt on Nov. 1 due to the ongoing government shutdown.
A federal judge ruled that the move was unlawful and ordered the administration to either pay for partial benefits by the end of Wednesday through a contingency fund or pay for a full month of benefits by tapping other U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds by the end of Monday.
The USDA plans to pay about half of the November benefits, but said the disbursements could take months to reach recipients, leaving SNAP recipients with little certainty about when they might see funds loaded onto their benefit cards.
The declaration requires the county administrator to report to the board how funds were used and their community effect no later than January 31, 2026.
Read the full resolution here (.pdf).
ICE emergency declaration
The county's declaration in response to recent federal immigration activity in the county allocates up to $200,000 in contingency funds to support immigrants and refugees throughout Washington County.
The declaration is effective immediately and expires December 31, 2025.
The board took direct aim at the purported mission of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Washington County, saying that rather than legitimate immigration enforcement activity, the federal government appeared to have a different motive.
"Recent data from the State of Oregon shows a significant negative impact to immigrant’s health and well-being such as anxiety, sleeplessness, or worsening health due to fear of being targeted, detained, or simply looking or sounding like an immigrant," the county said.
The county said recent ICE activity had caused residents to fear leaving their homes to go to work, attend school, attend medical appointments, access county services, and more.
"Current federal immigration activity appears designed to instill fear and anxiety in the residents of Washington County," the emergency declaration read.
Snider had stronger words than those found in the declaration.
"I would be remiss in my job if I did not point out that I believe that's literally the definition of terrorism in the dictionary, so I'm going to state that," he said.
Snider noted that the resolution did not direct local law enforcement to do anything illegal.
"We do have an obligation to follow federal law," he said.
Oregon is a sanctuary state, meaning local law enforcement agencies and other public bodies are prohibited from participating in federal immigration enforcement in most cases.
Willey said the resolution would give County Administrator Tanya Ange discretion on how best to use the funds. Ange said she would follow up with the board next week to ensure her actions have board support.
Commissioner Fai said while she supported the declaration, it did not go far enough, saying the board should consider actions to support commercial and residential renters and people struggling to pay utility bills as a result of ICE activity.
"This is a moment that calls for focus, responsibility, and continued bold decision making," she said. "This moment demands our leadership."
"Let's make no mistake about it: The activity that we've seen from ICE in recent weeks is horrific," Commissioner Treece said. "When masked agents are grabbing people off the street, families are being torn apart without due process, this really isn't who we are as a community," she said.
"It is very disappointing to me that our federal administration has chosen to remove temporary protective status for so many contributing members of our community, immigrants and refugees," Board Chair Kathryn Harrington said. "And the effects to our community of the various isolated ICE activities as Commissioner Treece mentioned, are horrific."
She thanked Commissioners Willey and Snider for spearheading the emergency declaration.
The declaration requires that the county administrator report to the board how funds were used and their community effect no later than January 31, 2026.
Read the full resolution here (.pdf).
Watch the meeting on the county's YouTube page. The conversation around the two emergency declarations begins at the 54:21 mark.
