In July, I took a break from writing for Novel Hand in order to focus on my job at a summer camp back home in Oregon. Shortly after I made this decision, I watched as my home state made national headlines for several weeks concerning the Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police movements in Portland, and the federal government’s response to them (for more on this, see Eve’s post).
Today, however, I’d like to shift your attention to a town several hours southeast of Portland. The city of Bend is a hub for outdoor recreation and tourism, located just east of the Cascade mountain range. Originally a small logging town, Bend’s metropolitan area has expanded rapidly in recent years, in part due to the city’s growing popularity among outdoor enthusiasts.
As the attention on Portland has faded in recent weeks, I was surprised to once again find my state in the news last week for a situation involving protests and federal agents—and even more surprised to find that this occurred in Bend, which usually seems to be a quieter, more peaceful town. Here’s what I learned about the situation.
What Happened?
Bend’s protest on Wednesday, August 12 came as a result of an operation being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in order to arrest two men for what ICE cited as “a history of violent criminal behavior.” Local community members noticed that the men had been detained in two buses at a hotel, and eventually a crowd several hundred strong showed up to block the buses from transporting the men out of the state, where they could be detained in an ICE facility without intervention from the local federal district court.
Later that night, as protestors sat peacefully on the ground in front of the buses, Bend’s police chief warned them that more ICE agents were en route. A couple dozen federal agents showed up in tactical gear, claiming that an agent was experiencing a medical emergency inside one of the buses. Using pepper spray and physical force, the agents moved through the crowd and entered the buses, quickly removed the two men, and drove them away in unmarked vehicles.
A local immigration rights law group filed a request in federal court for a restraining order against ICE, in order to prevent the men from being removed from the state—but by that time, they were already gone and out of range of the court’s jurisdiction. Neither of the men were able to receive legal counsel while they were detained on the buses, nor were their lawyers shown warrants for their arrest, although ICE claimed that administrative removal warrants did exist and were used.
Since the demonstration last Wednesday, questions have arisen over the legality of ICE’s actions. Bend’s district attorney questioned why ICE needed to use such a large show of force to dispel a peaceful protest, while other local leaders worried about the risks posed by ICE to the community at large. Protestors also wondered why no attempt at compromise or peaceful resolution was made.
A Welcoming City
By city council resolution, Bend is designated as a “Welcoming City.” Similar to the idea of being a “sanctuary state,” this means that the city of Bend itself will not enforce federal laws on immigration. This does not prevent ICE from conducting operations within the city; it only guarantees that local law enforcement will not assist federal agents and will not arrest someone solely because they are undocumented.
Although Bend’s police department did show up to the protest, they stuck to that resolution, citing Oregon state law regarding our status as a sanctuary state. A police presence was maintained, according to Bend’s brand-new police chief, in order to “protect life safety issues and to provide a safe space for expression of speech”—in other words, to protect protestors—but no assistance was given to ICE agents.
Community Support
So far, local community members have shown up to support the two men, described as “longtime residents of Bend,” and their families. Over $22,000 has been raised for each of the two men (Gofundme links here and here) in order to help their families cover legal fees and other expenses, and while scrolling through Instagram the other day I noticed that a meal train had been set up for the men’s wives and children as they work to reunite with them.
While it is still unclear what charges the men are facing and what their documentation status may be, it is notable that the Bend community has rallied around their families, who have lost their jobs due to the ongoing pandemic, in order to provide for their basic needs during this crisis. This support may be able to help clarify their legal status, reunite these families, and possibly provide additional clarity as to the power of “sanctuary” status, and what actions ICE agents can and cannot take. Additionally, this situation points to the power of legal advocacy groups, and the need to ensure that the law is applied correctly in all situations, to all who call the United States home.
For further resources on immigration, check out these articles:
- The Fight Does Not Stop With International Students – A Look at ICE Practices During a Pandemic – Pragya
- Immigration During Coronavirus Explained – Grace A.
- Misconceptions About Immigration – Grace A.
- Novel Hand’s list of Refugee and Immigration Resources
- A Dose of Climate Optimism from 2021 - January 20, 2022
- When It Comes To Climate Change, Language Matters. Here’s Why. - December 28, 2021
- The EPA Wants To Take A Few Years To Regulate PFAS. Here’s Why. - October 28, 2021