February 12, 2024 3:40 a.m.

On Monday, 4th District State Representative Alek Skarlatos announced the introduction of House Bill 3551, which would allow state and local law enforcement to work with federal immigration authorities to identify and remove illegal immigrants convicted of a violent felony or sexual assault.

Skarlatos said, “Our communities should not be sanctuaries for murderers, rapists, and other violent criminals”. Skarlatos said, “This bill is common sense policy that protects Oregonians by holding the most violent criminals accountable by providing a partial fix to our state’s sanctuary state law”.

House Minority Leader State Representative Christine Drazan, a sponsor of the bill, said, “Oregon’s Sanctuary State law is extreme and out of touch with the vast majority of Oregonians who want to live in safe neighborhoods”.

A release from the House Republican Caucus said a statewide poll commissioned by House Republicans ahead of the 2025 Legislative Session revealed that 69 percent of Oregonians support deporting undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of a crime while in the United States.  Only 19 percent of Oregonians support Oregon House Democrats’ position that no new immigration policies are needed to keep community’s safe. The statewide poll was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies between January 4th and 7th of this year and surveyed 500 registered Oregon voters with a plus or minus margin of error of 4.38 percent.

The release said Governor Tina Kotek has pledged to “uphold Oregon’s sanctuary promise laws” and Attorney General Dan Rayfield has added resources towards the “Sanctuary Toolkit and Guidance” to shield undocumented immigrants from federal law enforcement, even those who have committed violent crimes.