Civil Rights
The federal agency that controls the detention center where immigrant children are being held in Portland again denied requests July 17 from the state's five Democratic congress members to visit the facility.
The imprisonment of 123 asylum seekers at the federal prison in Sheridan has sparked the creation of a new local activist group called ICE Out of Sheridan.
Members will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 18, at McMinnville Cooperative Ministries, 544 N.E. Second St., to discuss their plans to oppose what they consider to be excesses by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
A day after the Trump administration missed its court-appointed deadline for the reunification of just over 100 young immigrant children with their parents, an Oregon congresswoman offered her services to help the relevant federal agency.
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, during a speech on the House floor Wednesday offered to volunteer her own time to help reunite separated families.
The deadline to bring the families together was Tuesday. However, fewer than half have been reunited.
Bonamici demanded immediate action.
"As a leader in women's rights, education and labor, the congresswoman is highly aware of the impact of the current border issues on our communities, our counties and our state," said Maribel De Leon, director of microenterprise programs at Adelante Mujeres. "We welcome her participation, along with the Oregon Democratic congressional delegation, in stepping forward against this administration's brutal and (nonsensical) anti-immigrants practices on our southern border." Bonamici represents Oregon's First Congressional District, which covers all of Washington County.
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, met with immigrant leaders about family separations Monday.
She toured the Sheridan facility where several detained immigrants have been separated from their children.
She said the Trump administration must stop decriminalizing asylum seekers.
Tuesday is the deadline for the administration to reunite children under age five with their parents after separations at the southern border. However, the justice department is expected to miss the deadline with less than half of children actually set to be reunited.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Gov. Kate Brown, released the following statement Friday in response to the Office of Refugee Resettlement refusing to allow the delegation to tour on Thursday evening Morrison Child & Family Services, where ORR placed children who the federal agency had separated from their parents when they crossed the border.
"The Office of Refugee Resettlement turned down our request to meet with the children being held at the facility here in Oregon.