Oregon governor refuses to end sanctuary state policies after Trump admin threatens federal funding

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek doubled down on Oregon’s sanctuary policies on Tuesday after US Attorney General Pam Bondi warned the state and other sanctuary jurisdictions last week that she would pursue legal action if they failed by Tuesday to repeal rules that “impede federal immigration enforcement.” Bondi also threatened to pull federal funding.

Kotek rejected the premise, claiming that state and local agencies have not blocked federal officers because of sanctuary state policies. “The State of Oregon is in compliance with federal law and will continue to follow state law,” Kotek wrote in the letter. “Therefore, no ‘immediate initiatives’ are necessary to eliminate laws that impede federal immigration enforcement.”

Bondi said in her initial letter, “For too long, so-called sanctuary jurisdiction policies have undermined this necessary cooperation and obstructed federal immigration enforcement, giving aliens cover to perpetrate crimes in our communities and evade the immigration consequences that federal law requires."

“Any sanctuary jurisdiction that continues to put illegal aliens ahead of American citizens can either come to the table or see us in court,” Bondi said when she announced the move. Bondi sent the letter to 32 different sanctuary jurisdictions.

Oregon set its sanctuary city policy in 1987, when it became the first state to prohibit state and local police from assisting with federal immigration enforcement, per the Oregonian. As a result, it is much more difficult for immigration enforcement to detain illegal immigrant offenders in the state without coordination from police officers.

“The state does not take on the additional expense or burden to perform federal immigration enforcement as it is the job of the federal government,” wrote Kotek.