The King NA this week mailed the following letter to Multnomah County Sheriff Daniel Station:

Dear Sheriff Staton:

The King Neighborhood Association is writing to express our support for ending the use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holds in the jail. We are particularly concerned that you have not responded to repeated requests from community members to work together in passing a county policy that limits participation in ICE’s S-COM Mass deportation program.   We can’t afford to wait while families are torn apart and our public safety is undermined. We invite you to respond immediately about how you plan to work with the community to keep families together and keep our communities safe.

Thousands of hard working Oregonians have been deported because local law enforcement agencies have chosen to comply with ICE requests to hold people. Many of these deportations are happening to Oregonians who have not committed any criminal offense or major violation of the law, separating families and destroying the trust between local law enforcement and our communities.  In fact, this system has proved to be so flawed, that ICE holds have erroneously been placed on citizens and lawful residents.

ICE holds create an environment in which community members do not trust law enforcement and are reluctant to report crimes out of fear. Limiting the use of ICE holds will go a long way to restore trust in law enforcement and support community policing efforts.  Additionally, local taxpayers bear the cost burden of these holds.

We invite, you, Sheriff Staton to not comply with voluntary requests from ICE to hold and turn over people for deportation, and to communicate to the public your opposition to ICE holds.