For Immediate Release
Thursday, October 8, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
Portland, OR – This week, ICE arrests have surged in Multnomah, Washington, and Marion counties as federal immigration officials continue to authorize arresting immigrants with no criminal record. These ICE agents have been emboldened by Donald Trump’s extremist rhetoric, as well as efforts by Oregon Republicans – including gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan – to carry out the MAGA agenda that is terrorizing immigrant communities in Portland and across the country.
In 2025, the Trump administration unleashed a campaign of terror in Oregon, empowering ICE to persecute immigrant communities under a directive called “Operation Black Rose.” When Oregonians exercised their first amendment rights to lawfully protest ICE’s inhumane methods, Drazan referred to them as “violent mobs and domestic terrorists.”
Furthermore, during Drazan’s time in the Oregon legislature, she established a record of consistently attacking immigrant rights:
- Drazan failed to vote on 11 different bills relating to immigration the last legislative session.
- When she had the chance to oppose masked federal agents acting as secret police, she failed to show up and cast a vote.
- She also voted against four different bills preventing discrimination against individuals based solely on immigration status.
“With Donald Trump and ICE terrorizing Oregon’s immigrant communities, we need a governor who is willing to stand up for the most vulnerable among us, and that isn’t Christine Drazan,” said Democratic Party of Oregon Chair Nathan Soltz. “Time and time again, Christine Drazan has refused to condemn ICE or the MAGA extremists who embolden their violent methods. Instead, she supported their actions here in Oregon, and pushed her anti-immigration agenda during her time as a legislator. Drazan can’t be trusted to show up for or protect Oregon’s immigrant communities.”
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