Oregon’s ongoing battle over aggressive federal immigration enforcement moved into sharper focus this week after U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley appeared with immigrant rights advocates in Woodburn on Feb. 13, warning that other communities across the state may face similar federal operations. Their message carries implications for southwest Washington, where many Cowlitz County residents work, study, or have family ties in the Willamette Valley communities now bracing for possible escalations.

Speaking from the office of Oregon’s farmworker union, Pineros Y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, the lawmakers promoted the ICE and CBP Accountability Act, legislation they introduced earlier this month. The bill would create a clear path for people to sue the federal government when immigration officers violate constitutional rights. The full bill text is available through Rep. Salinas’s office at this link.

Although the bill faces steep obstacles in a Republican‑controlled Congress, its sponsors argue the policy is urgently needed following a series of high‑profile enforcement actions nationwide. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Feb. 12 that it would end its large‑scale deployment of federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, a months‑long surge associated with thousands of arrests, mass protests, and two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents. That announcement was reported by the Minnesota Reformer at this link.

Sen. Merkley cautioned that Oregon could be next, saying rumors continue to circulate that the state is under consideration for a future surge. “We don’t know if those agents being drawn out of Minnesota are coming here,” he said, “but we better prepare as if they are.”

Local advocates who appeared with the lawmakers described escalating reports of warrantless arrests, racial profiling, and high‑tech surveillance. The Portland‑based Innovation Law Lab recently secured a federal court order prohibiting immigration agents from conducting warrantless arrests in Oregon, a ruling covered by Oregon Capital Chronicle at this link.

One of the statements read during the event came from a Salem home‑care worker and U.S. citizen identified only as “Maria,” who alleged she was injured during a Jan. 29 encounter with federal agents. The account, previously reported by Salem Reporter and available at this link, describes being pulled from her car, suffering rib and shoulder injuries, and later discovering a concussion.

Advocates say many other Oregonians—both citizens and noncitizens—are declining to speak publicly due to fear of retaliation against themselves or their families. That silence, they argue, signals systemic problems. “We cannot allow constitutional protections to become optional,” said one advocate from McMinnville.

For residents of Longview, Kelso, and the broader Cowlitz County region, the policy debate unfolding in neighboring Oregon is not abstract. Thousands of local families have direct cross‑border ties to Oregon communities where enforcement activity has intensified over the past year. Regional employers in agriculture, food processing, logistics, and construction also draw labor from both sides of the Columbia River. Any expansion of aggressive enforcement in the Willamette Valley could create ripple effects in southwest Washington, from workplace disruptions to heightened fear among mixed‑status families.

While federal enforcement decisions rest with the Department of Homeland Security and the administration in Washington, D.C., elected officials at Friday’s event urged residents throughout the region to pay close attention. They noted that local, county, and state leaders have influence through public statements, resolutions, and community‑level coordination.

As Oregon prepares for potential shifts in federal activity, southwest Washington communities may find themselves navigating similar questions: how to protect constitutional rights, how to maintain public trust, and how to prepare if federal operations intensify along the I‑5 corridor.

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