Residents of Hillsboro, Oregon, expressed deep concern at a city council meeting earlier this week about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in their community — including one emotional plea from a 16-year-old boy worried his parents could be taken away.
“I just want to tell you guys that I’m scared for my parents to walk out their house because I might not be able to say goodbye to them if they go to work,” said the teenager, identified as Manny, during the Nov. 4 meeting. “I might not ever be able to say bye or see them again if you guys don’t side with us. And I’m scared because of it, because they fought so hard to come here and choose a life for their kids.”
According to reports from NBC affiliate KGW and the Hillsboro News Times, the meeting featured three hours of public testimony as residents voiced fears over ICE’s enforcement actions amid President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration crackdown.
Trump, who was reelected on a promise to curb illegal immigration, has vowed to carry out “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.” The policy has remained highly controversial, with reports of families being separated and even U.S. citizens mistakenly detained.
The White House maintains that its immigration stance is rooted in law enforcement. “We don’t want to have to be in the position where people are being arrested and detained. But if they’re in this country illegally and they don’t leave now, that’s what we’re forced to do,” Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary with the Department of Homeland Security, told NPR in April.
Critics, however, argue the enforcement has shown a disregard for human dignity and has unfairly targeted people based on ethnicity.
Earlier this week, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that Washington County — where Hillsboro is located — declared a state of emergency in response to the mounting immigration enforcement. The move allows the county to allocate $200,000 in contingency funds to assist affected residents.
At the city council meeting, Manny urged officials to stand with immigrant families: “I hope you guys do side with us because we are fighting for our rights,” he said. “We are getting treated like animals because people judge us by the color of our skin and the way that we talk.”
He continued, “I’m scared that all of us are going to have to fend for ourselves. I’m scared that one day at school I’m going to be held by officers I don’t know — people that are covered, people that I can’t identify because they wear masks and they don’t properly ID themselves.”
“I’m tired of telling my mom and dad every day after school, ‘Have you seen the new video of ICE pulling someone over because of the color of their skin?’ … I really hope you guys do something about it, because I do want something to change,” he added. “As a 16-year-old, I shouldn’t be scared. I should be focusing on school.”
Manny’s heartfelt remarks received cheers from attendees, with two city council members rising to applaud. Video clips of his testimony soon went viral on social media.
City officials later issued a statement saying, “The City of Hillsboro is listening to our community members and staff as they share fears and concerns about federal immigration enforcement (ICE) activities in our community. We cannot prevent federal immigration enforcement, but we want to share resources with information on your rights, how to be prepared for interactions with ICE, and where you can find help and support if you or your family are affected by immigration enforcement.”
