No county in Oregon drew more attention from federal immigration authorities this past year than Washington County, where agencies fielded one out of every four enforcement requests statewide as contacts surged 246%.

The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission's annual Sanctuary Promise report, published Wednesday, July 1, found that Washington County Jail alone logged 79 federal requests for cooperation between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026. Add in the Washington County Sheriff's Office (6), Beaverton Police Department (1), and Washington County Community Corrections (1), and the county accounted for 87 of 329 statewide contacts. That's roughly 26%.

Statewide, those 329 requests represent a 246% jump from 95 the year before.

Hillsboro Police Department does not appear among the agencies listed. Neither HPD nor the Washington County Sheriff's Office has publicly commented on the findings.

Oregon's Sanctuary Promise Act, passed in 2021, bars law enforcement from aiding federal immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant. Oregon has been a sanctuary state since 1987.

The report flagged at least two cases in which Oregon agencies shared information with federal authorities under an administrative warrant signed by immigration officials, not a judge. That's a key distinction under state law.

Four agencies statewide reported actually fulfilling a federal request. One involved a grand jury subpoena. Another paired an immigration detainer with a judge-signed federal arrest warrant. A third provided documents to help detain someone. The fourth handed over a report number.

The federal push

Of the 329 contacts, 180 were immigration detainers and 100 were information requests covering things like jail release times. ICE made 46.8% of the contacts; other DHS agencies accounted for 40.7%.

In July 2025, federal agents arrested a man outside Washington County Circuit Court, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported.

The spike followed White House Executive Order No. 14159, signed Monday, January 20, 2025, which expanded national immigration enforcement. A second order on Monday, April 28, 2025, targeted "sanctuary jurisdictions" for potential federal penalties.

Gov. Tina Kotek and Attorney General Dan Rayfield have backed strengthening the state's sanctuary laws, including giving the AG power to sue agencies that violate protections. No legislation has been scheduled.

In June 2026, Kotek ordered the DMV to block ICE from obtaining undercover license plates. Oregon DMV Administrator Amy Joyce said: "We cannot expend state resources to assist in federal immigration enforcement." The U.S. Department of Justice sued Oregon over the decision.

Residents who believe they've witnessed a sanctuary law violation can contact the Oregon Department of Justice's Sanctuary Promise Hotline.