OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Hillsboro City Council Meeting – November 18, 2025: Emergency Declaration, ICE Impact, and Public Safety Discussion

City Council — Tuesday, November 18, 2025
BodyHillsboro, Oregon
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, November 18, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:45:24

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

Good evening, everyone.

0:06

Before we begin tonight's work session, I want to thank everybody for taking their time to attend, both in person and virtually.

0:14

During this work session, uh Council will receive an update and discuss the impacts of ICE in our community and what we've been doing and plan to do to address our community's concerns.

0:25

The public comments we received at our last meeting were extremely powerful, and it is helping shape how we're responding in areas where we can respond.

0:33

Public comment will take place at 7 p.m.

0:36

when we move from this room over to the auditorium for a regular meeting.

0:40

So during work session, we don't take public comment, but in the council meeting and auditorium, we will take public comment.

0:48

During this work session, uh, well, there is no public comment, as I mentioned.

0:52

And if you're here in person and would like to speak in the city council session, please fill out a yellow card and give it to Amber.

0:59

Amber's right over there.

1:01

And yellow cards can be found in the lobby.

1:03

Is that right, Amber?

1:04

Great.

1:05

Um, I'll turn the time over to Robbie Hammond, our city manager, to begin the work session.

1:10

Thank you, Mayor.

1:11

Good evening, council.

1:13

Um we can pull up the PowerPoint.

1:26

As he's doing that, I'll kind of go through the agenda for tonight's uh work session.

1:31

As Mayor mentioned, we uh are planning to meet both before and after the regular meeting since there's a lot of information to cover.

1:37

Um, our first item we're gonna go over.

1:39

I'm gonna talk quickly about our shared values and goals.

1:42

We're then going to provide uh some updates uh specific to the emergency declaration that the council asks us to look into, uh, community focused funding, community needs, talking about accurate information, and then Chief Coleman is here also to talk about um the actions from our Hillsborough Police Department.

1:58

Uh, we have uh proposals from the city council uh that we'll be reviewing.

2:02

Our hope is to get at least through the updates, and then we'll start into the uh proposals from council and get as far as we can uh before the meeting, and then we'll pick that back up after the meeting when we get back.

2:12

Uh and then afterwards there'll be plenty of time for council discussion.

2:16

Uh next slide.

2:17

So I shared this slide last week or two weeks ago as well.

2:20

And I just wanted to read um let's see just one area.

2:25

I talk about how there's shared values and goals that we're uh working through right now.

2:30

And uh the council has what we call guiding principles.

2:34

And one of those guiding principles I thought I would read is says we build inclusive systems by exemplifying diversity, equity, and inclusion and policy making and service delivery.

2:43

We seek to engage the broader Hillsborough community, removing barriers and creating accessible opportunities for all.

2:49

By fostering accessibility and honoring our community's unique identity, we create a welcoming and uh innovative and thriving environment for all.

2:58

That's just one example of the ways that we are united in what we're trying to do right now.

3:03

Um next slide.

3:06

With that, I'm gonna turn it over.

3:07

Oh, excuse me.

3:08

There's a few things that um are gonna guide us as we go through this presentation tonight.

3:13

Uh, first, uh that this is kind of our pathway to action.

3:16

So, first, our goal is to listen and seek to understand.

3:19

That started a couple of weeks ago, as mayor mentioned.

3:21

We had a significant amount of public comments that were powerful comments that were important for us to hear.

3:26

Uh, we plan to review all of the council's proposals.

3:28

The council has a lot of great ideas that we're going through, and we'll talk about those tonight.

3:32

Our goal is to create actionable steps as we go through this, aligned with council goals.

3:36

Um, everything is changing on a daily basis right now.

3:40

So we will continue to evolve as we adapt uh to new information.

3:43

We will continue to listen.

3:44

Uh, we plan to work with our CBOs, our community-based organizations, um, and then continue our partnerships with them, with the school district and others uh as we trust strive to figure out what's best for our community.

3:56

So, with that, I'm gonna turn it over to uh Chad, who's gonna talk about the emergency declaration.

4:02

Good evening, council.

4:04

Um, so just to sort of follow up on what Robbie was just talking about.

4:08

Uh last week or two weeks ago, um, from both you and members of the public, we heard a lot of uh requests and um pleas for an emergency declaration.

4:18

Uh we uh it's obviously up to you all as we talked about at the work session whether and to what extent you want to do an emergency declaration.

4:26

But in order to give you the opportunity to do that tonight, if you wanted to, we went ahead and drafted an emergency declaration.

4:33

And so what we try to do with this emergency declaration is really focus on some of the things that Robbie was just talking about about the values and ideals of the Hillsborough community.

4:43

And so you'll see in the resolution that we're we're really trying to do two things.

4:47

One in the recital portion, just really lay out various reasons, not only why there's an emergency situation going on in Hillsborough, but also outlining the values that we have for our community.

5:00

And so that language talks about the diversity of our community, regardless of immigration status, the uh benefits and role that immigrants have played within our community and how vital it has been to our community, um the negative impacts that ICE is having.

5:15

Um we talk about the um council and staff's desire to address these negative impacts.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Immigration Enforcement█████████████████████████████████████████████49%
Public Safety█████████████14%
Public Engagement██████████11%
Procedural████████9%
Community Engagement███████8%
Technology and Innovation███3%
Racial Equity██2%
Affordable Housing█1%
Economic Development█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Hillsboro City Council Meeting – November 18, 2025

On November 18, 2025, the Hillsboro City Council held a work session and a regular meeting to address the ongoing impacts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the community. The council unanimously adopted an emergency declaration (Resolution 2906) acknowledging the crisis and the city's values, allocated $200,000 in community-focused funding, discussed police department policies, and heard over three hours of public testimony. A special work session was scheduled to review council proposals for further action.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda was approved unanimously, including items not removed for separate consideration. Councilor Salgado expressed appreciation for the naming of the Hillsboro Shelter as a simple, equity-centered approach.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Over 30 community members spoke during the regular meeting, with many expressing fear, frustration, and demands for stronger protection against ICE activity.
  • Speakers included State Senator Janine Sollman (SD 15), who called for a unified state response and urged Governor Kotek to convene stakeholders. She described ICE actions as "human trafficking and kidnapping."
  • Multiple residents described personal experiences: witnessing abductions, family members detained, vehicles without license plates, and ICE agents not identifying themselves. One speaker, Erica, recounted being followed by an unmarked vehicle and having a rifle pointed at her.
  • Teachers and school staff reported children's fear, families preparing separation plans, and educators acting as safety nets. Adrian Smith, a school counselor, stated that parents are being snatched from cars at school drop-off.
  • Business owner Myra Contreras reported an 80% decline in business and requested a small business recovery grant program.
  • Several speakers criticized the city's initial guidance prohibiting city employees from filming ICE activity, though the policy was later revised to allow recording with caution.
  • Some speakers expressed gratitude for the emergency declaration but stressed it is a first step. Others demanded the city codify sanctuary protections, enforce state laws (e.g., license plate requirements, impersonation of officers), and hold police accountable for perceived inaction.

Discussion Items

  • Emergency Declaration (Resolution 2906): City Attorney Chad Jacobs presented a draft emergency declaration that declares a state of emergency without invoking emergency powers, to remain in effect indefinitely. The resolution outlines the city's values, condemns ICE actions, and calls for congressional immigration reform. Councilor Harris's amendments (stronger language on congressional delegation) were included. Councilor Alcara expressed concern about being informed late; Councilor Sinclair noted the resolution does not replace an ordinance to codify sanctuary status. The council voted to adopt the resolution unanimously.
  • Community-Focused Funding ($200,000): Assistant City Manager Simone Brooks updated that the grant application opened November 12 with a 5-day window. Over 30 organizations submitted more than 50 applications (up to $40,000 each; max $50,000). Categories (food, legal services, rent assistance, etc.) were prioritized by council weighting. Disbursement expected first week of December. An addendum clarified that funds should free up other monies for undocumented individuals and that no personally identifiable information is required. Councilor Sinclair questioned the 5-day window for smaller organizations; Brooks noted the response was strong.
  • City Employee Guidance on ICE: Brooks explained that initial guidance (February 2025) prohibited filming ICE to protect staff from safety risks per DHS expansion of threat definitions. After feedback, the prohibition was removed and updated guidance posted (English and Spanish). Councilor Alcara requested earlier notification of internal policies. The city also clarified that public comment now requires only a name for logistical purposes.
  • Police Department (Chief Jim Coleman and Deputy Chief Mike Leader): Topics included automated license plate readers (ALPRs), data sharing with other agencies (via MOUs, not used for immigration enforcement), and limitations on enforcing traffic laws against ICE vehicles. Chief Coleman stated officers cannot arrest federal agents for lawful detentions but document incidents, file police reports, and help reunite families with property. Councilors pressed for more proactive enforcement (e.g., tickets for missing plates), but acknowledged legal limits. Councilor Salgado noted that ICE agents often have superior firepower, making confrontation unrealistic. Councilor Alcara questioned an incident where an officer called a protester by name; Chief Coleman defended professionalism. It was confirmed that HPD is not on scene for most ICE operations; they respond only when called.
  • Council Proposals: Due to time, discussion was postponed. Councilor Salgado motioned to hold a special work session before the next regular meeting to focus on the proposals; motion passed unanimously. City Manager Raheem outlined a format grouping proposals by theme (e.g., emergency declaration done, internal signage, charter amendments, new commissions) and noted that resource-intensive items require council consensus to proceed.

Key Outcomes

  • Adopted Resolution 2906 (emergency declaration) unanimously with Councilor Harris's amendments.
  • Approved Consent Agenda and two new business items (Planned Unit Development at Riverside at Butternut Woods; interfund loan of $710,000 for transportation infrastructure).
  • Scheduled Special Work Session to continue discussion of council proposals (date to be set via poll). The session will include police department participation and may be followed by an executive session on litigation.
  • Staff directed to compile information on charter amendment processes, existing intergovernmental agreements (MOUs), and language from the FBI memo regarding impersonators of ICE officers.
  • Community funding to be disbursed first week of December; small business grant program under consideration.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. Before we begin tonight's work session, I want to thank everybody for taking their time to attend, both in person and virtually. During this work session, uh Council will receive an update and discuss the impacts of ICE in our community and what we've been doing and plan to do to address our community's concerns. The public comments we received at our last meeting were extremely powerful, and it is helping shape how we're responding in areas where we can respond. Public comment will take place at 7 p.m. when we move from this room over to the auditorium for a regular meeting. So during work session, we don't take public comment, but in the council meeting and auditorium, we will take public comment. During this work session, uh, well, there is no public comment, as I mentioned. And if you're here in person and would like to speak in the city council session, please fill out a yellow card and give it to Amber. Amber's right over there. And yellow cards can be found in the lobby. Is that right, Amber? Great. Um, I'll turn the time over to Robbie Hammond, our city manager, to begin the work session. Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, council. Um we can pull up the PowerPoint. As he's doing that, I'll kind of go through the agenda for tonight's uh work session. As Mayor mentioned, we uh are planning to meet both before and after the regular meeting since there's a lot of information to cover. Um, our first item we're gonna go over. I'm gonna talk quickly about our shared values and goals. We're then going to provide uh some updates uh specific to the emergency declaration that the council asks us to look into, uh, community focused funding, community needs, talking about accurate information, and then Chief Coleman is here also to talk about um the actions from our Hillsborough Police Department. Uh, we have uh proposals from the city council uh that we'll be reviewing. Our hope is to get at least through the updates, and then we'll start into the uh proposals from council and get as far as we can uh before the meeting, and then we'll pick that back up after the meeting when we get back. Uh and then afterwards there'll be plenty of time for council discussion. Uh next slide. So I shared this slide last week or two weeks ago as well. And I just wanted to read um let's see just one area. I talk about how there's shared values and goals that we're uh working through right now. And uh the council has what we call guiding principles. And one of those guiding principles I thought I would read is says we build inclusive systems by exemplifying diversity, equity, and inclusion and policy making and service delivery. We seek to engage the broader Hillsborough community, removing barriers and creating accessible opportunities for all. By fostering accessibility and honoring our community's unique identity, we create a welcoming and uh innovative and thriving environment for all. That's just one example of the ways that we are united in what we're trying to do right now. Um next slide. With that, I'm gonna turn it over. Oh, excuse me. There's a few things that um are gonna guide us as we go through this presentation tonight. Uh, first, uh that this is kind of our pathway to action. So, first, our goal is to listen and seek to understand. That started a couple of weeks ago, as mayor mentioned. We had a significant amount of public comments that were powerful comments that were important for us to hear. Uh, we plan to review all of the council's proposals. The council has a lot of great ideas that we're going through, and we'll talk about those tonight. Our goal is to create actionable steps as we go through this, aligned with council goals. Um, everything is changing on a daily basis right now. So we will continue to evolve as we adapt uh to new information. We will continue to listen. Uh, we plan to work with our CBOs, our community-based organizations, um, and then continue our partnerships with them, with the school district and others uh as we trust strive to figure out what's best for our community. So, with that, I'm gonna turn it over to uh Chad, who's gonna talk about the emergency declaration.

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