Joint Statement of the Progressive Caucus on the U.S. Border Patrol Shooting in East Portland

We stand with our community in the wake of the violent events of Thursday afternoon, which left two people hospitalized after being shot by federal immigration agents in the Hazelwood neighborhood of East Portland, and we stand with the family and community of Renee Nicole Good, the Minneapolis mother murdered by ICE just one day prior. We extend our solidarity to the victims, their families, and all community members impacted by the violence of President Donald Trump's mass deportation machine.

As the federal government spreads lies and attempts to sow division around these events, it is important for those of us fighting for justice and democracy to be clear in this moment. What happened in Portland is not an isolated incident. What we are seeing on our streets today is a coordinated campaign of state terror.

ICE is not a legitimate law enforcement agency-it is an armed gang tasked with terrorizing and ethnically cleansing our communities. Since its creation in 2003, it has been defined by human rights abuses, family separation, and a complete lack of public accountability. Its very existence is a clear and present threat to public safety.

As councilors, our lived experiences and histories ground our resolve. We are immigrants, children of immigrants, and descendants of those rounded up by their own government. We carry the trauma of knowing that injustice begins with dehumanization and bureaucratic cruelty. We remember that when our families were targeted, too few spoke up and too many looked away.

While the two Oregonians shot by agents have fortunately both survived, this tragic incident serves as a grave warning to our community and our leaders that now is the time to speak up. Justice does not look like people being extrajudicially killed or injured. Due process is a requirement of democracy guaranteed to citizens and non-citizens alike. Now is the time to take urgent and decisive action to hinder the ability of these reckless forces to operate in our city.

Here at home Portlanders are demanding that we unmask all law enforcement and do more to verify agents' identities and investigate any unlawful activities. Related legislative efforts, spearheaded by Councilor Sameer Kanal, have so far been met with considerable resistance from police and some City leaders. We need our police force to stand with Portlanders facing ICE, not with ICE facing Portlanders.

At the state, regional, and federal level this looks like supporting community-led efforts to track and document ICE raids, providing legal and financial support to victims and their families, and demanding that our congressional delegation immediately pursue articles of impeachment of the President, and passing legislation to defund and dismantle ICE.

We fully support the efforts of Attorney General Dan Rayfield to investigate federal operations in Oregon and hold those responsible for illegal activities to account.

Since Thursday night we have rallied with the people of Portland outside City Hall and at events throughout Portland not just as officials, but as neighbors in a growing mass movement. We did so because we recognize that while local policy is essential, it is not what will ultimately save us. Oregon is already a sanctuary state, yet federal agents still operate with impunity. The real power to dismantle this system lies with the people. We must build a disciplined, bottom-up movement that declares, once and for all: not here, not ever.