Protect Portland Initiative: January 2026 Progress Report

In this article

The City of Portland is committed to protecting the rights, safety, and wellbeing of everyone in our community.

Portland City Council unanimously voted in October 2025 to adopt the Protect Portland Resolution and pass the Sanctuary City Ordinance to safeguard residents against unconstitutional militarization and immigration enforcement by the federal government.

Implementation is being led by a coordinated, cross-bureau core team that includes the City Attorney's Office, Bureau of Human Resources, City Administrator's Office, Office of Equity and Human Rights, Office of Community and Civic Life, City Communications Office, and Public Safety Service Area.

Here are the steps the City has taken so far to implement these directives.

Immigrant affairs leadership and support

A hiring process is underway for an Immigrant Affairs Lead within the Mayor's Office to lead this body of work, including ongoing implementation of the ordinance and associated resolution. The expected hiring date is January 2026.

Citywide Immigrant Affairs Liaisons have been identified, and bureau-level and service-area workgroups have been established to inform and support implementation efforts.

Keeping watch on federal activity

The City Attorney's Office is actively submitting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the federal government to support oversight and compliance monitoring. The FOIA requests submitted thus far seek information related to the detention or removal of anyone arrested by ICE within the boundaries of Portland for the period of January to September 2025.

The first batch of requests were denied. We are engaging in the process of refining the request to address the ground given for the denial. A second wave of requests will go out shortly based on what we learn from the negotiation of the first requests.

Employee training

Citywide employee trainings are being developed and are expected to launch in early Spring 2026. Trainings will cover the Sanctuary City Ordinance and Protect Portland Initiative, Oregon's Sanctuary Promise Law, responding to immigration enforcement in the workplace, resources available to employees, and reporting requirements related to immigration enforcement on City property. Department of Justice training resources are being incorporated as appropriate.

Reporting tools

Internal reporting tools for documenting immigration enforcement activity and potential violations of the Sanctuary Promise Act are in development. These tools will be used to document instances of immigration enforcement activity on City property and to report potential violations of the Sanctuary Promise Act. Information collected through these tools will inform the quarterly reporting requirements established by the Sanctuary City Ordinance.

City employee immigration leave policy

A new Immigration Leave Policy for City employees went into effect December 19, 2025, providing up to 40 hours of paid leave per fiscal year for immigration, naturalization, and citizenship-related activities for employees and eligible family or household members.