Oregon’s Sanctuary Law

Did you know that Oregon has been a sanctuary state since 1987? Oregon has the longest standing sanctuary laws in the country.

The Oregon Department of Justice and the Women’s Foundation of Oregon held a Zoom session about Oregon’s Sanctuary Law on 2/20/25.

Oregon stands for the safety, dignity and human rights of all Oregonians.

Visit the comprehensive website hosted by the Oregon Department of Justice’ Civil Rights Department for more information.

SanctuaryPromise.Oregon.gov

The website contains an amazing amount of resources for protecting people in Oregon.

Reporting Bias to the Hotline: 844-924-7829

The Law Impacts

  • Everyone! It’s about our communities!
  • Immigrants
  • Refugees
  • Asylees
  • Parolees
  • Student/work/U/T visa holders
  • Undocumented/Non-citizens
  • Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRS)
  • Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

What Sanctuary Promise is

  • Longest standing laws in the nation
  • Backed by some strong legislators and committed
    electeds and cities
  • Reporting Hotline
  • Tracking data
  • Conducting inquiries
  • Statutorily outlined recourse for community
  • Imperfect laws with many gaps

What Sanctuary Promise Isn’t

  • Federal immigration authorities can operate in Oregon
  • No stopping deportations
  • No stopping federal prosecutions
  • No unwinding of information obtained/shared illegally
  • ODOJ inquiries don’t change this
  • No immigration relief from cooperating with ODOJ inquiry
  • Recourse against violators via civil action is not from
    ODOJ, but communities have the power here

Find much much more on SanctuaryPromise.Oregon.gov