In the days since President Donald Trump took office, federal immigration officers have stormed a public university, visited local businesses, and interrogated children using public transit, according to a number of social media posts alerting Oregonians.
Local officials say none of that seems to be true.
Since Trump promised to finish the biggest deportation operation in American history, several immigrant communities around the nation have been on edge. There is a tangible concern among some illegal immigrants who fear deportation or separation from U.S.-citizen family members as a result of this danger and the potential for unconfirmed material to spread like wildfire on social media platforms.
There have been more reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Oregon, and at least one individual has been apprehended at home rather than in public, according to community organizations. However, pro-immigration activists are cautioning the public against making snap judgments or disseminating unsubstantiated material that could incite further hurt and anxiety.
Pedro Sosa, director of Oregon Project Voice, an immigrant rights initiative supported by the American Friends Service Committee, stated in Spanish that some people are using it as a means of intimidating others. There is a lot of misinformation, a lot of anxiety, and a lot of ambiguity.
A Facebook post claiming that three middle-school-aged youngsters were interrogated by ICE officers at the Clackamas Town Center light-rail station was refuted by TriMet on Tuesday.
According to TriMet spokesman Roberta Altstadt, personnel investigated the report but could find no proof. According to information on its website that Altstadt shared, TriMet does not collaborate with ICE as required by state law, and anyone who witnesses, hears, or experiences ICE action on TriMet property is urged to report it right away.
According to Altstadt, neither the individual who shared the information on Facebook on Monday nor any other reports of ICE officers boarding trains at Clackamas Town Center or elsewhere sent TriMet any complaints or direct messages.
According to her, the only question TriMet got was from someone who reposted the post and pointed out that no concrete proof was provided.
Altstadt stated, “I think their purpose is to instill fear in the community.”
A Facebook message from the newsroom was not responded by the woman who posted, and on Wednesday morning, a call and a text message to a phone number associated with the woman’s identity were not immediately returned. The woman apparently took down her Facebook post.
Vans full of ICE police were invading Portland State University, according to a Reddit post made last Thursday. Later, the post was taken down.
University spokesman Christina Williams claimed that officials had not observed any ICE activity on campus and that the information was fraudulent. Ann Cudd, the president of the institution, informed the community in a public statement that same day that authorities would not approve of immigration enforcement efforts on campus and would take all necessary legal steps to safeguard students.
Additionally, company representatives disassociated themselves from social media reports that claimed customers had been arrested or questioned.
A message claiming that ICE officials were visiting the WinCo Foods on Southeast 82nd Avenue close to Happy Valley went viral on Facebook and Instagram last week.
Before hanging up, a WinCo employee who would not provide her name denied that such an occurrence had occurred at the store. The WinCo corporate office and its corporate communications director did not respond to many requests for comment.
This was not an interaction with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an ICE spokeswoman informed the media.
Separately, a screenshot of a message that seemed to have originated on Facebook that said people had been held at WinCo and La Tapatia Supermarket in Gresham was posted on Reddit last week.
An ICE presence was disputed by a La Tapatia employee, who would not give her name, and directed The Oregonian/OregonLive to a statement on the business’ Facebook page.
The brief statement asked the people to exercise responsibility in the face of spreading inaccurate information, but it did not directly address the accusations.
According to La Tapatia’s Spanish statement, social media is a tremendous instrument, but if not handled properly, it can also cause chaos. Let’s refrain from disseminating rumors that could raise concerns. Verify information before sharing it.
Requests for additional comment from La Tapatia were not answered.
People should exercise caution when repeating or sharing content on social media, according to Sosa of Oregon Project Voice. He advised the public to be cautious when information comes from an unknown source but to believe it if it comes from a community organization, for instance.
He explained that in order for the program to deploy a rapid reaction team, users can submit photos or videos along with other details like location, date, and time via his organization’s hotline, 888-622-1510.
Similar advice was given by Frank Garcia, executive director of the nonprofit legal services organization Immigration Counseling Service, for anyone who sees an immigration raid at work or in public.
When gathering information, people who feel comfortable doing so should make sure their phone is on, record the audio and video, try to get the name, badge number, and agency of the officer, narrate the date, time, and location, and refrain from giving the agents personal information about themselves or their loved ones.
In order to preserve the safety and security of the immigrant community, Garcia also asked people to refrain from making snap judgments or disseminating unconfirmed information on immigration raids.
According to a statement from Garcia, these allegations have the potential to spread fear and push immigrant communities into hiding. Before disseminating information widely, we must consider its origins and dependability.
An estimated 120,000 undocumented immigrants reside in Oregon, making up 2.9% of the state’s total population, according to data from the impartial think tank Pew Research Center. Mexico accounts for more than half of the state’s unauthorized immigration population.
According to Sosa, ICE does make arrests in Oregon, but they are outnumbered by rumors that are intended to frighten the public. He claimed that since Trump took office, his program, which deploys rapid response teams to assist during and after immigration raids, has not yet needed to send out a team.
ICE officers arrived at a family’s home on Friday and took the father, who is currently being held at the Tacoma Northwest Detention Center and is being assisted by legal counsel, according to Sosa, who claimed his organization is aware of at least one arrest in Salem. Services were linked to the remaining family members.
He stated that educating the community about their constitutional rights is crucial.
Garcia also reminded the public that the Oregon Department of Justice Sanctuary Promise Hotline is a place to report suspected violations of Oregon’s sanctuary state laws, which forbid local officials from assisting with immigration enforcement. Additionally, public agencies that receive a request for immigration enforcement from a federal agency must report the incident.
Law enforcement and public entities that received a request from a federal agency for immigration enforcement have filed four reports to the Criminal Justice Commission since Trump took office, including two that were submitted on Tuesday. None of the local agencies helped federal officials with any of the four requests.
According to Kelly Officer, research director at the Criminal Justice Commission, “it’s still unclear what the increase in volume will be there because agencies have 30 days to report to us.”
This story was contributed by Beth Slovic.
–Investigative journalist Yesenia Amaro focuses on communities of color and societal issues. Do you have any information about immigration, deportations, or government-funded initiatives aimed at assisting Oregon’s immigrant population? Contact them at [email protected] or 503-221-4395.
