Indivisible North Curry County has a slew of questions for the Board of Commissioners who are set to discuss — and potentially approve — a resolution honoring potential detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
The Port Orford-based group of progressives also hope to get the public to the commissioners’ meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Gold Beach to protest the resolution.
“REMEMBER — the people’s voice stopped the commissioners’ resolution on managing our public lands,” Indivisible North Curry County leadership stated via email Monday, referring to a February resolution the Board considered to take over stewardship of state and federally-managed lands. “We can stop this one, too!”
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detainer Request Resolution comes from Commissioner Patrick Hollinger. It refers to policies Oregon adopted that “designate it as a sanctuary for illegal aliens” and states the Board of Commissioners “respectfully” disagree with them.
The resolution also states that the Board of Commissioners believes “it would be in the best interest of our community and the principles of justice to honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests for individuals for those who are in our custody for other criminal activities, allowing for the appropriate federal authorities to handle immigration enforcement.”
The resolution also states that it does not extend to undocumented immigrants who are “not engaging in criminal activities beyond their immigration status,” but those “illegal aliens who pose a direct threat to public safety due to other criminal actions and who have already been detained by local law enforcement based on Probable Cause.”
Indivisible North Curry County took issue with this statement, and others in the resolution, pointing out that probable cause does not mean guilty.
ICE issues immigration detainer requests to federal, state or local law enforcement agencies, asking that they be notified “as early as possible” before the law enforcement agency releases an undocumented immigrant. An immigration detainer request also asks the agency to hold the immigrant for up to 48 hours “beyond the time they would ordinarily release them” so DHS can assume custody of the individual.
ICE states that when jails, prisons or “other confinement facilities” honor immigration detainers they can take custody of undocumented immigrants in a “safe, controlled environment instead of at-large in the community. In addition to such methods being safer, ICE says, detainers also “conserve scarce government resources and taxpayer dollars.”
In its email, Indivisible North Curry County raises concerns on each of the resolution’s “whereases.” The group requests data on the number of crimes committed in Curry County by those in the country illegally and asks if the resolution creates an undue burden on local law enforcement and resources.
Indivisible North Curry County also asks about “complexities” the Sheriff’s Office faces due to a conflict between state sanctuary policies and federal immigration law. The group also states that ignoring legal rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution is not in the best interests of the community.
“Are elected officials really going to start picking and choosing which laws they like and will follow, versus those they do not like and will not follow?” Indivisible North Curry County asks. “What happens to the rule of law? Oregon’s sanctuary laws do not prevent federal immigration authorities from operating in the state or from deporting individuals.”
Indivisible North Curry County also pointed out that local government agencies that didn’t comply with Oregon’s sanctuary laws can be sued. This was the case with Cottage Grove, which lost a suit from Rural Organizing Project in 2024. A Circuit Court of Lane County judge ruled that Cottage Grove could no longer collaborate with federal immigration agencies in violation of the Oregon Sanctuary Promise Act, the Cottage Grove Sentinel reported on Feb. 6, 2024.
Also on Wednesday, the Curry County Board of Commissioners will decide who will serve as Board chair and vice chair. This decision follows the resignation last month of Chairman Brad Alcorn and subsequent appointment of newcomer Lynn Coker to the Board.
The Board of Commissioners is also expected to discuss committee appointments on Wednesday.
The Board will meet at 6 p.m. in its chambers at 94235 Moore Street in Gold Beach. The agenda packet can be found at www.currycountyor.gov and meetings are streamed live via YouTube.
