Oregon ICE arrests are predominantly nonviolent, new data show

New federal data show that most immigrants arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Oregon are not violent criminals, despite a sharp rise in enforcement activity across the state since early 2025. The numbers, covering arrests through October 2025, indicate that ICE has tripled its arrests in Oregon compared to 2024, even though Oregon still ranks among the lowest states in overall arrest rates and most of those taken into custody have no record of serious violence.

Key findings and statewide context

• Researchers at UCLA’s Luskin Center for Knowledge and Policy, using ICE enforcement data released through the Deportation Data Project, found Oregon records about 0.7 ICE arrests per 1,000 non‑citizen immigrants — one of the lowest rates in the country.
• Despite the low per‑capita rate, the arrest rate increased steeply in 2025, prompting concern among immigrant families, employers, and advocacy groups.
• The analysis shows most people arrested either have no criminal convictions or only minor/nonviolent offenses (e.g., traffic tickets, immigration violations, low‑level misdemeanors).
• Only a small share of arrests involve serious violent crimes such as homicide, aggravated assault, or sexual assault.

“The findings indicate that arrest patterns were more strongly driven by political alignment, specifically by states most supportive of the President’s anti‑immigrant rhetoric. This political factor is the most statistically significant in the analysis.”
— UCLA researchers

What the data suggest about enforcement priorities

• The UCLA team reports that ICE often targets people whose main “offense” is their immigration status, not violent crime.
• Their nationwide assessment links enforcement surges more closely to political climate and federal messaging than to local violent crime trends.
• Coverage by outlets like VisaVerge.com and the Deportation Data Project indicates enforcement spikes frequently follow policy announcements or political speeches, rather than changes in local crime statistics.

Oregon’s sanctuary framework and operational consequences

• Oregon is a sanctuary state under the Oregon Values Act (ORS 181A.820). That law:
  • Bars state and local police from using their resources to help enforce federal immigration law, except when a court order requires it.
  • Prohibits officers from stopping someone solely to ask about immigration status.
  • Generally prevents holding people longer in jail simply because ICE filed a civil immigration “detainer” request.
• Because local agencies are legally limited, ICE must run its own operations in Oregon, gathering information and making arrests largely without help from county jails or local police.

Detention logistics and effects on families

• Oregon has no in‑state ICE detention center. People arrested in Oregon are often sent to facilities in other states, most commonly a large detention center in Tacoma, Washington.

• The distance and cross‑state transfers:

  • Make it harder for families to visit detained loved ones.
  • Complicate defense attorneys’ ability to prepare cases.
  • Hinder community tracking of detainees’ whereabouts and status.
• Advocates say these logistical burdens can push people to accept removal rather than fight their cases, even when they might have legitimate defenses based on family ties or fear of harm in their home country.

Where arrests are happening and community impact

• The 2025 surge has particularly rattled immigrant communities in the Willamette Valley, outer neighborhoods of Portland, and agricultural eastern counties.

• Community reports describe ICE activity at:

  • Jails
  • Workplaces
  • Apartment complexes
  • Parking lots
  • Locations near schools and motels
• Families report increased fear and behavioral changes:
  • Parents hesitate before driving children to school or attending medical appointments.
  • Crime victims may avoid reporting domestic violence or wage theft to law enforcement.
  • Community counselors note rising anxiety and depression among clients.

Who is being arrested

• Advocates (e.g., Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition and Cascadia Counselors Without Borders) say many arrested are:
  • Long‑term residents with deep family and work ties in Oregon.
  • Workers in agriculture, hospitality, construction, food processing, and other essential sectors.
  • Members of mixed‑status families, including U.S. citizen children or spouses.

• Local organizers report that family ties and nonviolence do not reliably shield people from arrest, and that arrests sometimes follow routine events like traffic stops, accidents, or workplace visits.

Procedural pathways from routine contact to ICE arrest

1. A routine interaction occurs (e.g., traffic stop or minor arrest).
2. Local fingerprints or records may be entered into federal databases.
3. ICE identifies prior immigration orders or violations (sometimes old or minor).
4. ICE conducts its own arrest operation — often at home or work — because local agencies cannot act on civil immigration matters under Oregon law.

Systemic pressures and selection of targets

• The lack of in‑state detention capacity creates pressure to make each arrest “count” by prioritizing people who are easier to locate and detain.
• This dynamic can push federal agents to focus on working‑class neighborhoods with high immigrant populations rather than on individuals with serious violent records who may be harder to find.

Public safety, reporting, and community trust

• Advocates argue that fear of ICE undermines public safety by discouraging victims from reporting crimes like domestic violence or exploitation.
• When residents believe sanctuary policies cannot fully protect them, they may withdraw from:
  • Schools
  • Clinics
  • Civic life

Official stance and the data reality

• ICE officials state the agency follows federal law and national priorities, emphasizing removal of people who pose a community danger.
• The Oregon data, however, show the “criminal” label can be broad: minor traffic offenses, old deportation orders, or low‑level misdemeanors may be sufficient to place someone on ICE’s radar.

Table — Snapshot of Oregon enforcement (through Oct 2025)

Responses and proposed local actions

• Supporters of the Oregon Values Act say the law has effectively kept local police out of federal immigration enforcement.
• Critics point to the tripling of arrests in 2025 and question whether Oregon should do more to protect nonviolent residents.
• Suggested policy responses from lawmakers and advocates include:
  • Expanding access to state‑funded legal defense for immigrants.
  • Building stronger firewalls between local government databases and federal immigration systems.
  • Increasing community outreach to reduce fear and encourage reporting of crimes.

Human cost and concluding observation

• Official ICE statistics are available at www.ice.gov, but advocates emphasize that raw numbers do not capture the personal toll.
• Behind the data are families from towns across Oregon — from Medford to Gresham — dealing with the sudden absence of a parent or breadwinner.
• The federal data through late 2025 send a clear message: in Oregon, ICE is arresting more people, but most are not violent criminals. The surge appears tied more to shifting national enforcement priorities than to local crime increases, leaving immigrant communities to navigate greater risk despite Oregon’s sanctuary protections.