Multnomah County is the latest in a growing list of local governments to issue such a declaration.<\/p>\n
MULTNOMAH COUNTY, Ore. \u2014 Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson declared a state of emergency in the county Friday morning in response to the ongoing impact of federal immigration enforcement in the community.<\/p>\n
With her announcement, Multnomah County is now the latest in a growing list of local governments pushing back on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents’ presence in the state.<\/p>\n
\u00a0“Multnomah County is committed to using every tool at our disposal to support our immigrant and refugee neighbors, and this declaration strengthens our response to the cruel actions that are terrorizing families throughout Multnomah County,” said Pederson in a press release. “Our diversity is our strength, and we will never waiver from our commitment to serve every person who lives here with dignity.”<\/p>\n
Cities like Salem<\/a>, Hillsboro<\/a> and Woodburn<\/a>, as well as Washington County<\/a>, have issued similar declarations over the last few months. However, Multnomah County is the most populous area to declare an emergency.<\/p>\n Under the declaration, the county will have more flexibility to request assistance from the State of Oregon and suspend its purchasing rules for community resources. The county also reasserted that it will uphold and comply with Oregon’s status as a Sanctuary State.<\/p>\n