ACT Network Praises Sheriff Staton for Courageous Decision on ICE Detainers

ACT Network Praises Sheriff Staton for Courageous Decision on ICE Detainers

Portland, Ore. -- Activists Coming Together for Justice and Dignity (the ACT Network) applauds yesterday’s announcement from Sheriff Staton that the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) will stop honoring requests from federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hold an individual in the jail without probable cause.  The ACT Network expresses great gratitude to Sheriff Staton for his leadership and his announcement, which recognizes the harm to public safety and community trust in law enforcement when local agencies choose to entangle with ICE.

“With this great step, Sheriff Staton has chosen to put the community first,” said Nicole Brown, Field Director for the Center for Intercultural Organizing and spokesperson for the ACT Network.  “The harmful practice of local law enforcement honoring ICE holds has been devastating.  Families will stay together and be stronger because of this decision by the Sheriff.  It will have meaningful impact on how witnesses to and victims of crime interact with law enforcement, and that’s better for all of us in Multnomah County.”

Today’s announcement by Sheriff Staton comes on the heels of an influential court decision in Clackamas County, where a local federal judge said that in that case the county violated the U.S. Constitution by honoring an ICE hold.  Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts and Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett have also announced their intention to suspend the practice of honoring ICE holds.

“We have seen examples of cities and counties across the country standing up to ICE by enacting policies limiting ICE holds,” said Marco Mejia, Organizer at Portland Jobs with Justice and an ACT Network spokesperson.  “Multnomah County is now saying ‘enough is enough,’ and won’t do ICE’s work for them either.  Sheriff Staton made the right decision and we thank him for it.”

Participating organizations in the ACT Network hope that the decision to stop honoring ICE holds in Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington Counties will influence sheriffs across the state to do the same thing.

The ACT Network invites members of the community to join them for a forum on ICE detainers on Thursday, April 24^th from 6-8pm at PCC Cascade, Terrell Hall Room 122.  Community members will share their stories of the impact of ICE detainers on themselves, their families, and their communities, and people will gather in celebration of these positive developments in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties. 

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The ACT Network is a collection of organizations that collaborate and work for the social, political, and economic inclusion of immigrants and disenfranchised communities, regardless of their immigration status. We are worker and immigrant rights groups, civil rights advocates and lawyers, faith leaders, community groups, and youth.

Causa, a member of the ACT Network, is Oregon's Statewide Immigrant Rights Organization and the largest Latina and Latino civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit www.causaoregon.org