Portland, OR – On the evening of October 19, 150 people attended an immigrant rights-centered town hall meeting with Portland City Council candidates. Candidates running for city council in Districts 3 and 4 were invited to participate and present their position on questions of immigration, the police, sanctuary policy, and the Macadam ICE facility in South Portland.

The candidates in attendance included incumbents Mitch Green, Tiffany Koyama Lane, Angelita Morillo, and new candidates such as Dr. Esther Leon, Tom Sollitt, Jamey Evanstar, Eli Arnold and Jeremy Beausoleil Smith.

Immigrant rights organization Portland Contra Las Deportaciones hosted the event. In the opening statement, Taylor Goss, a member of PDXCD stated, “This town hall is so important because it affords us the opportunity to elect councilors who are willing to be bold, and fight with us to defeat Trump’s attacks. We need action now to shut down the facility and stop the terrorizing of immigrants in Portland!”

PDXCD is in the midst of a campaign to shut down the Portland ICE facility that operates under a permit approved by Portland City Council in 2011. They’ve held many actions demanding city council take action to shut down the facility and had sparred with some of the incumbents at the town hall in the past.

The demand to shut down the facility resonated with many in attendance, receiving applause and cheers.

When asked about the mayor’s response to the ICE surge, candidate Jeremy Smith scrutinized the lack of action from Mayor Keith Wilson on shutting down the facility. Another question asked about the city council’s response to ICE, to which some non-incumbents replied that council should have done more. Dr. Esther León echoed the demand to revoke the ICE facility permit, stating that the city should have already shut it down. León added that the current council’s capitulation to Trump does not keep Portland safe from his attacks, but in fact, lays the groundwork for further federal overreach.

One line of questioning asked about existing law and if city council has the obligation and responsibility to change it if it is no longer working. Candidate Tom Sollitt responded, “if the [laws/code] made sense in the past, but we see in the moment when things don’t work out, there is an obligation to make change. The lack of desire to enforce the facility impact fee and action from the mayor and executive branch, city council should continue moving forward with proposals even if it includes a proposal to revoke [the ICE facility’s] permit.”

Moderators also inquired about the ways councilors can fight for immigrant rights outside public office, and the police’s role in ICE activity as well as their activity against immigrant rights protesters.

Cami Saunders asked a question about the use of police to forcefully remove protesters from city hall, saying “Members of our organization have been violently removed from city hall by the Portland police when no one was being harmed. Do you condemn that use of the Portland police?” Mitch Green, a sitting councilor during many forceful removals of protesters, stated that the police should not be used to “remove the people from the people’s house,” and subsequently condemned the use of the police in that manner. The rest of the candidates, including other incumbents who allowed the police to eject protesters, unanimously aligned with Green and condemned it.

“I’m confused by Mitch Green’s response,” Saunders said after the event. “He condemned the use of police to kick out protesters from city hall, yet he was a part of the group of councilors that allowed police to be called on us for protesting last year. We need more than statements, and I hope to see this reflected in his actions if he is re-elected.”

When asked how she felt about the responses at the town hall, Beatriz Ibarra said, “Some of the excuses that were given about the lack of action on the facility have been said before, such as issues with the mayor, the supremacy clause, as well as the lengthy legal process. These came mainly from the incumbent candidates. It was refreshing to see other candidates take the stand for revoking the permit and show willingness to fight back against Trump's attacks in a bold manner.” Ibarra was one of the many people that have been arrested for protesting outside the ICE facility.

In closing out the event, PDXCD urged the attendees to support them in their next action for the revocation of the Macadam ICE facility permit. A hearing on the ICE facility land use violation case is scheduled for November 20. The violation was issued in September of 2025 and has been stalled and appealed every step of the way. Activists demand the judge overseeing the case, Judge Steffan Alexander, stop allowing landowner Stuart Lindquist to delay consequences for human suffering at the facility he leases to ICE.

On the topic of the outcome of the event, Stephanie Wilde, one of the main organizers, said, “one of my highlights of the evening had to have been the groups that came out. It gave me such a feeling of camaraderie and togetherness. I spoke with a lot of the groups on just how coming together like this strengthens all of us and strengthens our resolve to keep going.”

The event was supported and endorsed from Sunrise Movement PDX, Centennial Education Association, Oregon Working Families Party, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Knitters Against Fascism, Multnomah Democrats, SW Indivisible Resistance, Portland For Palestine, Shannon Singleton for Multnomah County, Parkrose UCC and Singing Resistance.

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