ICE Disputes Escalate
Oregon Authorities Challenge ICE Operations While Trump Administration Targets 911 Dispatchers
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Oregon's local sheriffs say ICE is not keeping a key safety promise. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security claims it regularly tells local 911 dispatchers before running immigration operations — but law enforcement leaders across Oregon say that is simply not happening, according to The Astorian.
The dispute comes as the Trump administration goes on offense. With no evidence provided, federal officials accused 911 dispatchers of leaking ICE agents' locations to the public. The allegation lands amid a broader legal war between the administration and four Democratic-led states over undercover license plates for federal agents.
Sheriffs Say ICE Broke Its Deconfliction Promise
In November 2025, the Oregon State Sheriffs Association met with ICE officials in Salem. The two sides struck a "deconfliction agreement" — a deal where ICE would warn local 911 centers before operations. That way, if police got a call about armed strangers, dispatchers would know it was a federal team, not a threat. The Astorian reported the deal was meant to prevent accidental shootings between local cops and federal agents.
But the agreement fell apart almost immediately. Tim Svenson, president of the Oregon State Sheriffs Association, said the problem is constant staff turnover at ICE. "We make connections and headway with one person, and then they are moved out and another person replaces them," he said. Svenson warned that notifications are "still not occurring" and called deconfliction "still a work in progress," according to The Astorian.
Trump Administration Accuses 911 Dispatchers of Leaking Agent Locations
Rather than fix the deconfliction problem, the Trump administration chose a different move. Federal officials accused local 911 dispatchers of leaking sensitive information — specifically, the real-time locations of ICE agents — to the public. The claim positions dispatchers as partisan actors working against federal law enforcement.
There is a major catch: zero evidence has been produced to back up the accusation. No specific case, timestamp, or recording has been released by DHS, according to East Oregonian. Analysts see the "leaker" label as a tactical move — by discrediting 911 systems, the administration builds a case for running more secret, unannounced federal operations without local coordination.
Oregon Blocks ICE Plates, DOJ Sues Four States
The dispatch fight is only one front in a wider battle. On April 15, 2026, Oregon's DMV quietly stopped issuing undercover license plates to all federal agencies while it reviewed state sanctuary law compliance. Undercover plates hide an agent's identity during operations. Oregon DMV Administrator Amy Joyce said the risk of breaking state law was real, warning that "the prospect of litigation in this area is real." By June 1, Governor Tina Kotek made it permanent — Oregon would deny undercover plates to ICE specifically, while still providing them to the FBI and DEA, according to The Bulletin.
The Trump DOJ struck back fast. On May 27, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche filed coordinated lawsuits against Oregon, Washington, Maine, and Massachusetts. Blanche said state policies "undermine federal immigration enforcement, allow dangerous criminals to escape justice, and terrorize American communities." The suits claim the plate denials violate the Constitution's Supremacy Clause, which says federal law overrides state law. Oregon argues the 10th Amendment's anti-commandeering doctrine means states can't be forced to hand over discretionary services like specialty plates, according to Portland Tribune.
Oregon's 40-Year Sanctuary Law at the Center of the Fight
Oregon passed the country's first sanctuary law in 1987. That law bars state and local resources from being used to find or arrest people solely for being in the country without legal status. Governor Kotek leaned on this directly, accusing ICE of "illegitimate activities" and "sowing fear." She said, "Oregon will follow state law and ensure we do not aid these unlawful immigration enforcement efforts," according to Oregon City News Online.
The stakes are real on the ground. In Clatsop County — home to Astoria — ICE detained between 5 and 7 people in a single weekend, sparking local backlash in Astoria and Seaside, according to The Astorian. If deconfliction fails and 911 dispatchers stay in the dark, local police responding to "man with a gun" calls could walk into an active federal operation — with no warning and no way to tell friend from foe.
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