(PORTLAND, OR.) — The Portland City Council meeting on Wednesday, June 18 was marked by significant public discontent and deep internal divisions, particularly regarding the city's response to federal immigration enforcement and the adoption of a contentious annual budget.
During public communications, residents condemned the council for its perceived bureaucratic delays in addressing the ICE facility's land use violation and for police brutality against protesters.
Camille Saunders, representing 'Portland Contra Las Deportations' and 'Revoke the ICE Permit PDX,' demanded immediate revocation of the ICE facility's permit and action against federal overreach. She criticized the Council's seven months of inaction since a land use violation was issued in September 2025, during which time ICE detained over 1,200 people.
Photo Credit: YouTube
“ICE has been terrorizing our communities and attacking protestors at heightened levels for over a year now. In November, I said we didn’t have time to waste on bureaucratic processes. Our undocumented communities are in danger and severely impacted every single day,” Saunders said.
Next, Samantha Ibarra, a first-generation Mexican-American Marine Corps veteran and new Portland resident, voiced her dismay at the constant threat to civil rights and the fear among residents to speak out. She stated that exercising First Amendment rights should not entail brutality from federal agents, law enforcement, or extremists.
“The people standing in the streets demanding accountability are not the threat. The threat is the government that becomes comfortable ignoring the rights of the people it serves. The people of Portland deserve better. We deserve leaders who will do more than just acknowledge these concerns via social posts. We deserve leaders who will act,” Ibarra said.
City Administrator Raymond Lee gave his update on the ongoing response to federal interventions in the city.
Video Credit: YouTube / eGov PDX
Following the City Administrator’s report, City Attorney Robert Taylor clarified the goals of the city.
“Our goal here is to litigate this issue to conclusion on the merits from the hearings office to the circuit court and wherever else we need to, to get a final decision from the court on the merits of the violation. And once we have that and if it’s in our favor, council can act on that in the land use proceeding,” Taylor said.
Angelita Morillo sought to state the council’s position to the community.
Photo Credit: YouTube
“I think something that we need the community to continuously consider is the fact that laws are enforced through the legal court system, and if the legal court system does not support our findings, then we don’t have any standing and we do not have a standing military like the federal government does. So, I think that’s part of what we’re honestly having to address here,” Morillo said.
The council held its second reading of the FY 2026-27 budget while members of the audience spoke over the proceedings, demanding a response from the council on the Macadam ICE facility.
“The FY 2026-27 budget, passed amidst strong criticism from several council members, who highlighted significant cuts to public safety and social services, and a lack of transparency in financial reporting,” OpGov.news reports.
The council's persistent 6-6 deadlock on crucial amendments. The administration faced scrutiny for imposing tight deadlines that limited meaningful budget revisions. This meeting underscored a disconnect between the council's processes and the urgent demands and expectations of its constituents.
Ultimately, the budget was approved with a 9-2 vote, with Councilors Dan Ryan and Eric Zimmerman dissenting. Council President Jamie Dunphy recused himself from the vote, because his spouse works for a city-financed entity.
The new budget will go into effect July 1.
If you would like to add to this report, please email me at rory.h@lead4earth.org or comment below.
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