Overview:

A press release from an immigrant workers’ relief organization inspired protest around immigration activity in Eugene.

A previous version of this story incorrectly described what circumstances Lane County Sheriff’s Office deputies may, under sheriff’s office policy and state law, assist federal agents in making arrests for criminal violations of immigration law. Deputies may assist federal agents if a federal magistrate has issued an arrest warrant for a criminal violation of immigration law.

Eugene’s Federal Building is on a tree-dotted, benign-looking government campus blocks away from the city’s downtown charms.

But the building is home to Eugene’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, where attorneys and community advocates now say officials are arresting immigrants during routine check-ins and blocking lawyers from meeting with their clients. 

As growing protests against ICE in Los Angeles make national headlines, cities like Eugene are tracking local ICE activity, wary of what President Donald Trump’s recent immigration crackdown — with reports of immigrants being detained and “disappeared,” often by unidentified ICE officials in unmarked vans — means for the immigrants in their communities.

Messages to the ICE office from Lookout Eugene-Springfield seeking comment have not been returned.

Lane County attorneys raise alarm

A June 10 press release from Oregon Worker Relief, an organization that supports immigrants in Oregon and provides emergency financial and legal support for immigrants in the state, cited Lane County-area attorneys and advocates alarmed at what they had seen at the ICE office.

It is unclear how many detainments have actually happened in recent weeks at the Eugene ICE office, which covers Lane, Benton, Linn, Marion, Lincoln and Polk counties. But anecdotal accounts from attorneys are raising questions. (Calls to the immigration attorneys quoted in the press release were not immediately returned.)

“I have been denied entry to the Eugene ICE office with clients despite their right to have counsel present,” said Christine Zeller-Powell, an attorney at Catholic Community Services of Lane County, in the press release. 

Katrina Kilgren, an immigration attorney in Eugene, was also quoted in the press release describing routine appointments as “detention traps” under the recent escalation of ICE activity. Under federal law, which attorneys say ICE is now breaking, clients must have reasonable access to attorneys while detained.

“ICE is denying people access to legal representation at the exact moment when it matters most,” she said in the release. “That’s a fundamental violation of due process.”

Oregon Worker Relief also described a recent change where immigrants from Medford were required to drive to Eugene for their check-ins, only to be detained upon arrival.

The release also described intimidating conditions in Eugene ICE office, as a “tiny 12-by-12 waiting room with a few chairs and nothing on the walls” where people wait for hours. A Lookout reporter was told they could not access the area without an appointment.

Zeller-Powell said in the press release she had also seen clients who didn’t speak English pressured to sign papers without translation or interpretation.

Teams of legal observers are documenting potential rights violations against immigrants and refugees through the volunteer group Rapid Response of Lane County, which was created six months ago. Statistics on observed potential violations were not included in the press release. 

Law enforcement responds to ICE activity

Newly appointed Lane County Sheriff Carl Wilkerson answered questions from county commissioners on Wednesday before being sworn in, including on how he would uphold Oregon state law prohibiting law enforcement and public agencies from providing information to a federal immigration authority for enforcement purposes. 

“[L]ocal law enforcement, [the] sheriff’s office, specifically, have a legal and statutory requirement not to participate in immigration enforcement or share information with immigration enforcement or anybody who’s doing that kind of work,” he said.

But that doesn’t stop ICE from asking for information. Wilkerson said that the sheriff’s office has received eight ICE inquiries so far this year, compared with only one from 2022 to 2024.

“Each of those contacts, we said, ‘Hey, I’m sorry, but we can’t help you,’” he told commissioners. “And we immediately, as the law requires, report to the state that the contact was made.”

Lane County Sheriff’s Office policy states that deputies may assist federal agents if an arrest warrant has been issued by a federal magistrate for a criminal violation of immigration law.

Wilkerson also said the sheriff’s office does not enforce immigration law, but spoke of an interest in the sheriff’s office being a part of vulnerable communities.

“It is my hope to continue to work with the communities to provide education about what it is that we do, what it is our responsibilities are, and how we can best serve them,” Wilkerson said.

Like the sheriff’s office, local police departments are legally barred from assisting immigration officials.

When asked how the department interacts with ICE, Lt. Justin Myers from the Springfield Police Department had a quick response. “The short answer is, we don’t,” he said. He said that while he understands the concern the public may have about ICE, the federal agency is outside of his jurisdiction. 

Melinda McLaughlin, the public information officer for the Eugene Police Department, pointed to Oregon law as well as city laws that prevent working with immigration enforcement, including the 2017 Protection for Individuals Ordinance. 

“We don’t have anything to do with it,” she said. “It’s actually illegal for us to use our resources on immigration enforcement.”

Local protests begin

The news of ICE activity in Eugene quickly spread after the Oregon Worker Relief outreach.

An emergency protest was organized for Wednesday, June 11, at the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza at 799 Oak St. in Eugene at 5:30 p.m. 

A previously organized protest will take place on Saturday, June 14, with a “No Kings” rally organized by the Activist Coalition of Eugene-Springfield. 

That rally is part of a nationwide effort, the grassroots 50501 movement, that is protesting the Trump administration in hundreds of cities. Eugene’s protest will begin at 11 a.m. at the Wayne L. Morse Courthouse at 405 E. Eighth Ave. A march is then planned from the courthouse, to City Hall and Alton Baker Park, starting at noon.

Jaime Adame and Ben Botkin contributed to this report.

Annie Aguiar is the Arts and Culture Correspondent. She has reported arts news and features for national and local newsrooms, including at the Seattle Times, the Washington Post and most recently as a reporting fellow for the New York Times’ Culture desk covering arts and entertainment.