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Oregon News
POLITICS
Marion County files lawsuit over Oregon sanctuary law
OPB | By Conrad Wilson
Marion County is asking a federal court to determine whether it should follow state or federal law when it comes to immigration enforcement.
The case could resolve a long-simmering tension that has placed some in local law enforcement and other public employees in the position of feeling they have to decide which law to follow and which law to ignore.
In a lawsuit filed Monday, the county’s leaders asked whether they must follow Oregon’s decades-old sanctuary law that prohibits local and state resources from being used to enforce federal immigration law — or comply with an administrative subpoena issued this month by agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that sought information about four individuals on parole.
“Records responsive to the subpoenas are public records that would be available to any person who makes a public records request,” the county noted in the lawsuit filed against Gov. Tina Kotek, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons.
On Aug. 1, an officer with ICE sent five immigration enforcement subpoenas to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Unlike a judicial warrant, where a neutral third party determines whether there is probable cause for an arrest or charges in a criminal case, these administrative warrants are requests for information signed by immigration officers.
The subpoenas ICE sent to Marion County requested information about four people convicted of crimes that range from rape and sexual abuse to robbery and kidnapping. Two of those individuals are registered sex offenders, according to the county’s lawsuit. The identity of a fifth person ICE requested information about was unclear, the county noted.
The subpoenas requested information, including each person’s address, phone number, birth records, driver’s license number, employer’s address while on parole and information about bail.
“Marion County has gathered records responsive to the federal subpoenas,” the county’s lawsuit states. “Marion County is prepared to either provide or withhold the requested records based on what the Court determines the law requires.”
In a statement, Danielle Bethell, chair of the Marion County Board of Commissioners, said the county reached out to both federal and state officials to get clarity, but the legal path still remains uncertain.
A spokesperson for the governor declined to comment on Marion County’s lawsuit because the litigation is pending.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said his office would defend the state’s law blocking cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
$18M in federal grants for crime victims at stake over Oregon sanctuary status
KATU | By Christina Giardinelli
Rayfield's office had asked the Oregon legislature to backfill the 40% cut, but this did not happen due to general fund constraints.
Rayfield noted that the lawsuit will not be resolved in time to stop the nearly 150 organizations across the state that rely on VOCA from shuttering.
"I want to acknowledge that this lawsuit, like all others, is reactive to what is going on in Washington D.C., and alone it is going to take time to restore these important services. As a result, we as leaders of the state have an obligation to ask our state legislature to help step up and backfill these programs at a time, frankly, when funding for our state is limited," he said.
When asked, Rayfield noted that lawmakers should endeavor to release the funds as soon as possible either through a special session or during the 2026 short session in February.
Oregon family shares tearful goodbye at PDX as wife follows deported husband to Mexico (video)
The Oregonian | By Yesenia Amaro
Irma García decided to leave Portland for Veracruz, Mexico, to reunite with her husband, Moises Sotelo, who was arrested in June and deported the following month.
García, who is undocumented, made the difficult decision to leave behind her three children, one of which is still in high school, and her five grandchildren.
She was joined on the trip by her daughter, Alondra Sotelo García, 26, who will return to Oregon to run her father’s business, Novo Start Vineyard Service.
VOTE: Should sanctuary cities comply with federal immigration enforcement?
KATU
Should sanctuary cities comply with federal immigration enforcement? 87% YES, 13% NO out of 7,277 votes. Vote in the poll by clicking here.
Pacific Northwest lawmakers condemn Trump's plan to cut mail voting, question legality
KATU | By Tanvi Varma
“The one thing about mail-in voting here and this state is we’ve always been a leader in terms of access for voters. If you look at the history of our secretary of states that have served, even Republican Dennis Richardson, talked about the values about mail-in voting," said Attorney General Dan Rayfield when asked about the issue at a news conference unrelated to mail-in voting.
Secretary of State Tobias Read says vote-by-mail is effective and trustworthy.
"Fraud is exceedingly rare. And it has never affected the outcome of an election. Nonetheless, we're always looking for ways to make our system more secure. What it depends on is the 36 county clerks around Oregon. I've been on a tour meeting with them in their offices. And I'm happy to report that these people are doing great work. We have the most secure, fairest, most accurate elections in the entire country," said Read.
Public input sought on Preschool for All as county evaluates program's next steps
KATU
The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners is set to embark on a critical week of public meetings concerning the future and finances of the Preschool for All (PFA) program.
ECONOMY
A beautiful crop and a ‘bloodbath’ of a cherry season
Capital Press | By Kyle Odegard
Cherry growers said they had a large crop of beautiful fruit but the season was a “bloodbath” or “trainwreck” due to labor and market challenges.
At the start of the season, immigrant workers’ fears of federal raids resulted in a labor shortage for some farms, said Ian Chandler, chairman of the Oregon Sweet Cherry Commission.
That was followed by high retail prices derailing demand.
Portland Trail Blazers bidder entangled in a messy corporate bankruptcy
The Oregonian | By Matthew Kish
Tom Dundon, the head of a multi-billion dollar bid for the Portland Trail Blazers, spent part of this summer in a San Antonio courtroom, answering questions about the 2019 collapse of a professional football league that imploded shortly after he became its biggest investor.
EDUCATION
Oregon’s college leaders navigate uncertain financial waters
OPB | By Tiffany Camhi
Higher education leaders in the state say they are pulling all the levers to minimize student impacts caused by state and federal funding pressures.
CHILD CARE & DHS
Parts of Oregon still child care deserts but availability is improving, report says
Statesman Journal | By Whitney Woodworth
Most Oregon counties are still considered child care deserts for infants and toddlers, except for Multnomah and Gilliam.
Public funding is crucial for maintaining existing child care slots, especially outside the Portland metro area.
Number of children who died on Oregon’s abuse radar rises in 2025, ending yearslong decline
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Shaanth Nanguneri
More than 20 children known to Oregon’s child welfare agency have died in 2025, surpassing the number of fatalities the state has reported by mid-August for the past four years.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
A New Approach Didn’t Curb the Spread of a Toxic Algae Bloom Down the Willamette River
Willamette Week | By Seychelle Marks-Bienen
Toxic algae blooms in the center of the Willamette River have become one of Portland’s unwanted summer traditions. The blooms erupt in Ross Island Lagoon, a stagnant inlet left by gravel mining; by now, Portlanders are used to steering clear of the emerald-green water that materializes during warmer temperatures.
This year was supposed to be different. Thanks to legal action brought by environmental watchdogs, state regulators and the gravel mining company that owns much of the island crafted a plan to keep more of the algae contained inside the lagoon.
Conditions in the river over the past week raise questions about whether that stopgap measure is sufficient to protect public health.
Oregon reboots electric vehicle fast-charging program, with federal funds restored
OPB | By Monica Samayoa
Oregon is one of a few states set to receive its full allocation of promised federal funding to add dozens of public electric vehicle fast charging stations along major highways.
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