Since the start of President Trump’s second term, immigration enforcement has escalated dramatically, both in volume and aggression. Federal agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) act brazenly in their tactics and operations, often while clad in face coverings and equipped with military-style gear. Many Oregonians have experienced and witnessed a stream of violent detentions on our phone screens and directly in our communities. Since the start of the year, Minneapolis has become a center of national attention due to the outsize presence of federal immigration forces and the horrific killings of Minnesota mother Renee Good and Veterans Affairs intensive care nurse Alex Pretti by federal officers. In Portland, January also saw federal agents shooting two community members in the Hazelwood neighborhood.

The Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC)—a local nonprofit that monitors ICE activity and connects people in detention with legal support—reported 1,066 detentions in Oregon between July and December 2025. Since October 1, daily reports of detentions have reached between 15 and 45 per day—a dramatic spike since 2024 but still relatively low compared to other states. Oregon is one of the few states that does not have an ICE detention center, and detainees can be legally held at the Macadam facility in South Portland for only 12 hours. However, PIRC states that the facility is undercounting the number of people it's holding, and recently told the Portland Mercury that there have been reports of detainees being kept past the legal duration. The planned construction of an ICE detention center in Newport, Oregon, would likely lead to an even greater expansion of local arrests and deportations.

Locally, the majority of detentions—nearly 62 percent—have occurred in Multnomah and Washington counties, though PIRC has also received reports from surrounding areas including Clackamas, Marion, and Yamhill counties. These detainments have primarily occurred in the early morning hours and while community members were en route to school or work.

The growing extremity of federal immigration forces has spread anxiety and fear for those in detention, their loved ones, and community members who encounter ICE. It can be unclear how best to respond when you see immigration enforcement in your neighborhood. If you are stopped or detained by ICE, having a safety plan and knowing your rights is critical. And for those who witness an arrest, taking the appropriate action can assist with advocacy and legal aid for the person being detained. So, we talked with PIRC for a primer.

What does ICE look like?

Under Oregon’s sanctuary law, state and local law enforcement are prohibited from assisting with federal immigration enforcement. It’s important, however, to be vigilant of sanctuary law violations where police may collaborate with ICE. It’s easy to confuse federal agents with city, county, or state law enforcement, but there are ways to distinguish and verify ICE activity. “PIRC does get a fair number of calls from people reporting agents that are really local police,” says Natalie Lerner, a PIRC spokesperson.

Federal agents frequently wear plain clothes, tactical gear like bulletproof vests, and gator masks to obscure their faces. Common agency acronyms labeled on agents’ vests include “ICE,” as well as “ERO” (Enforcement and Removal Operations), “CBP” (Customs and Border Protection), and “DHS” (Department of Homeland Security). FBI field offices have also been reassigning agents to assist with ICE operations. ICE agents have been witnessed lingering in apartment buildings and parking lots, often leaving and returning to the same areas repeatedly, according to PIRC. And they’ve been spotted outside schools: Early last November, a fleet of patrolling ICE vehicles prompted César Chávez School and George Middle School to go into “Secure the Perimeter” protocol.

Identifying ICE vehicles can be tricky. According to Lerner, observers have noted that immigration enforcement officers may drive cars with out-of-state license plates—particularly those from California, Texas, and Washington—or remove them altogether. Someone trying to identify an ICE vehicle could use a license plate tracker, a database of confirmed ICE vehicle license plate numbers. 

What should I do and NOT do when witnessing ICE activity?

Interfering in an ICE arrest is a federal crime. Bystanders should not touch, push, or hit an officer. But it is within a person’s legal right, regardless of immigration status, to document what you see. “We recommend, if people suspect they see ICE, to record,” Lerner says. “Do not get in ICE’s face, but get close enough that you can capture audio.” She also recommends that observers try to film in one continuous take to document the entire arrest. ICE may order you to step back—you should comply with these directions, but they cannot order you to stop filming, as it’s a constitutional right. Still, ICE agents have demanded people delete recordings or hand over their phones; social media posts and news outlets have shown ICE agents physically restraining, assaulting, and grabbing phones from bystanders. ProPublica reported that more than 170 US citizens have been detained at raids and protests by immigration agents and held for over a day. “It’s really difficult when people are watching their neighbors or their friends get snatched, often incredibly violently by swarms of militaristic agents,” Lerner says. “People should assess their own risks and vulnerabilities when deciding to participate in ICE watching.”

When filming ICE operations, try to record identifying information of officers, such as badges, uniforms, and vehicle plates, Oregon for All recommends. You can also ask ICE agents why they are detaining someone and if they have a warrant. “ICE may not actually show a warrant to an observer,” Lerner says, “But it’s a good idea for observers to ask because it’s one way of demonstrating that agents lack sufficient reason to detain someone.” 

Observers should also try to share Know Your Rights information with those being arrested and remind them that they have the right to remain silent, to ask for a lawyer, and not sign anything without a lawyer present. If possible, try to ask them for emergency contact information, too. “This can be really valuable in order to activate both rapid legal response and social service support for people’s families,” says Lerner. While PIRC does not provide legal aid itself, it works closely with the Equity Corps of Oregon to connect immigrants with legal providers.

How do I report an ICE arrest, and to whom?

If you are an eyewitness to suspected ICE activity, call or text the PIRC hotline (1-888-622-1510). You can send photos and unedited videos to [email protected]. When it comes to what to share, Lerner suggests using the CLEAR method:

C – Count: “3 officers, 1 van”

L – Location: “SE Second and Morrison, Portland”

E – Equipment: “Blue uniforms, unmarked van”

A – Activity: “Officers are checking IDs”

R – Report Time: “2:45pm, Thursday”

Should I post photos or videos of suspected ICE activity on social media?

The Immigrant Defense Project recommends verifying the information before sharing it with the public to avoid and dispel rumors and misinformation. If you do post photos or videos online, do not share the names or identifying information of the person arrested without their permission.

Do I have to let ICE enter my home or office?

To enter someone’s home, ICE is required to have a valid judicial warrant. An ICE “warrant” is not a judicial warrant. If they do not have a warrant signed by a judge, you do not have to open the door or let them into your home. ICE agents may use deceptive tactics or “ruses” to enter a person’s home, such as misrepresenting their identity and pretending to be police. For businesses, only private areas, such as offices and break rooms, are protected, and ICE must have a judicial warrant to gain entry. To show that certain areas are private, businesses should mark them with a Private sign and keep the door locked. ICE agents can enter public areas like parking lots, dining areas in restaurants, or lobbies.

Be aware that ICE does not need a judicial warrant to make an arrest in public spaces based on “reasonable suspicion,” Lerner says. ICE’s FAQs outline their ability to detain people “when they have reasonable suspicion” that someone is “illegally present in the United States.” Immigration advocates have warned that the Supreme Court’s ruling in September, which lifted a lower court ban on ICE’s “roving patrols” in Los Angeles, widens the definition of “reasonable suspicion” to be based on how someone looks, what language they speak, if they have an accent, or where they work.

How can I prepare myself or my loved ones at risk of detention? 

The National Immigrant Justice Center recommends creating a safety plan, which includes memorizing emergency contact numbers and providing them to your child’s school or day care.

If your loved one has been detained, you can use ICE’s online detainee locator or contact an Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) field office. When using ICE’s locator website, search by biographical information or by A-number, a nine-digit Alien Registration Number that can be found on most immigration forms. Note that you can’t find unaccompanied minors using the ICE locator, because they are placed in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. To locate a minor, contact the ORR National Call Center at 1-800-203-7001 or [email protected].

How can I get involved as an ally?

• Save PIRC’s hotline number (1-888-622-1510) to your phone and join its WhatsApp channel, where the team posts regular updates of verified ICE sightings, detention trends, and rights information.
• Disperse Know Your Rights information by posting flyers in your community. PIRC offers KYR flyers in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin.
• Attend one of PIRC’s Migra Watch trainings to learn best practices for observing ICE and become a Migra Watch verifier. As a volunteer, you will be integrated into PIRC’s rapid response network across the state. PIRC has trained over 5,000 volunteers and plans to offer at least two trainings a month.