Gov. Tina Kotek and mayors from 31 Oregon cities are urging the federal government to pause all immigration enforcement in the state until recent violent incidents are fully investigated.
In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House border czar Tom Homan, they say enforcement tactics are frightening families, harming local economies, and undermining public safety.
The letter reaffirms Oregon’s sanctuary law and support for immigrant and refugee communities.
In case you wonder which mayors signed the letter with Gov. Kotek, they are:
TJ Bailey, Mayor of Falls City; Lisa Batey, Mayor of Milwaukie; Lacey Beaty, Mayor of Beaverton; Craig Berdie, Mayor of Yachats; Rory Bialostosky, Mayor of West Linn; Paul Blackburn, Mayor of Hood River; Joe Buck, Mayor of Lake Oswego; Angelica Ceja, Mayor of Aumsville; Jeffrey Dalin, Mayor of Cornelius; Ed Fitch, Mayor of Redmond; Sean Fitzpatrick, Mayor of Astoria; Annette Frank, Mayor of Dayton; Tonya Graham, Mayor of Ashland; Ki-Yang Hu, Mayor of Tigard; Jan Kaplan, Mayor of Newport; Melanie Kebler, Mayor of Bend; Kaarin Knudson, Mayor of Eugene; Cecelia Koontz, Mayor of Monmouth; Frank Lonergan, Mayor of Woodburn; Denyse McGriff, Mayor of Oregon City; Christopher McMorran, Mayor of Philomath; Shawn O’Neil, Mayor of Wilsonville; Beach Pace, Mayor of Hillsboro; Jairo Rios-Campos, Mayor of Wood Village; Travis Stovall, Mayor of Gresham; Jim Trett, Mayor of Detroit; Susan Wahlke, Mayor of Lincoln City; Linda Watkins, Mayor of Carlton; Malynda Wenzl, Mayor of Forest Grove; Keith Wilson, Mayor of Portland; Steve Wright, Mayor of Seaside.
The above summarizes Oregon Capital Chronicle‘s Feb. 5, 2026 article “Oregon Gov. Kotek, mayors call for pause on immigration enforcement” by Julia Shumway.
Photo credits: Gov. Kotek in 2025 (“Trump War on Portland Press Conference”)(cropped) by BikePortland, CC BY 4.0, Link, “ICE Agents in Minneapolis after Shooting” (cropped) by Chad Davis, [1], CC BY 4.0, Link.
![Chad Davis, [1]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ICE_Agents_in_Minneapolis_After_Shooting.jpg){kind=link}