Weekly Update for January 27, 2026

In the face of the horrific, ongoing violence and occupation of Minnesota and reduced enforcement reported to us this week, we wanted to take a moment this week to publicly say:

ABOLISH ICE. We are in endless solidarity with the people of Minnesota and our immigrant neighbors. Everyone deserves safety, due process, dignity, and freedom from state persecution. No one should be killed by the state – not immigrants in detention centers and not people trying to show up for their neighbors. ICE & CBP are deeply violent agencies and must be upgraded.

Second, because we are in a moment where we all need to continue expanding and envisioning our migrant justice movement ecosystem, we wanted to read help clarify what is and is not PIRC's role in the ecosystem.

Finally, we'll share this week's detention numbers at the end of this post.

In recent weeks, we have received many questions and feedback from community members trying to understand

1. what to expect when a loved one is detained, and

2. what PIRC can and cannot offer, including our role in rapid response.

Immigration justice working in Oregon is a complex and beautiful ecosystem of community based organizations, legal service providers, faith, communities, autonomous groups, and neighbors who provide mutual aid, protest, observe, record, and report, legal observing and organizing.

PIRC is one organization within this ecosystem. We all have never had the goal of being a by-all and end-all, nor do we believe that is healthy movement infrastructure. We are deeply grateful for our many partners in this work and know that we are stronger together.

PIRC focuses on the immediate rapid response moment surrounding a detention. Our most critical program is our hotline, and our other day-to-day work (including legal observers at ICE and court and MigraWatch trainings) is designed to respond to detention in the moment they happen or in their immediate aftermath.

For most other parts of the work, including pre-detention education, legal representation and related support, we refer community members to our many trusted partner organizations.

1. We take down the information of the detained person the information we need name DOB country of origin a number of exist the number of emergency contact the circumstances/location of detention and whether the individual has an immigration lawyer.

2. once we have the above information and I've confirmed the person is not already represented. We immediately send the details to ECO parentheses equity core of Oregon Oregon's Universal representation system for people facing potential deportation parentheses eco-navigators typically contact the emergency contact within an hour to a day or two in order to enroll the detained person into ECO so they can be eligible for legal services.

3. if rapid response legal support is available, ECO may send an attorney to meet with the individual(s) at an ICE processing center in Oregon before they are transferred out of state.

4. ECO then refers the person out for legal representation, to try to find a loyal while they're in Tacoma. This process can take time – right now, there are not enough immigration lawyers, for the number of Oregonians being detained, and when people are transferred farther away than Tacoma, things become even more complicated.

We encourage families to read ECO's website to learn more about their program as well as how representation works. There is also information about how to navigate finding a lawyer for a loved one and seeking ECO reimbursement for legal fees when your family member has been transferred out of the Pacific Northwest.

We also encourage folks to call or email EEO directly with questions – 1-888-274-7292 or info@equitycore.org. PIRC works closely with ECO, but does not have lawyers of our own, nor can we find people legal representation.

If you have any questions about how to navigate the system in Tacoma, including how to make calls, deposit money, and similar, check out our People's Guide to NWDC, linked in our Linktree, as well as on our website.

1. We first verify as much information as possible. If, using the CLEAR method and dispatchers experience in identifying on CE, the incident seems like a potential immigration enforcement activity, the hotline will activate rapid response.

2. Rapid response activation can happen in many different ways: through legal observers (PIRC volunteers), through train Migra Watchers (not PIRC volunteers, though they have received PIRC training) and/or through the statewide Oregon For All network of regional leads, who also activate their own local rapid response groups.

3. We are those on the ground to report backs so that we can close the incident if the incident is confirmed as ongoing, and there are multiple arrests or high activity in a given area, we will share an alert on our WhatsApp channel. We also try to share an alert each mornings once we have a sense of areas ICE may be targeting for the day.

4. PIRC does not intervene with ICE, and people who PIRC ask to verify also do not support ICE or prevent others from intervening.

We receive many calls from families seeking additional support, especially rent assistance. If families share that they need help paying for rent, utilities, or other resources while is detained, we may refer them to statewide partners, social service agencies, and mutual aid groups. PIRC does not offer rent assistance, financial support, or case management.

As new resources become available, we seek to refer folks to them, but we also need to maintain our focus on responding to ICE activity on a daily basis. We encourage you to call 211 or social service agencies in your area - we know that there are not enough resources for this moment, and we aim to change the system of false scarcity, along with an end to all detention and deportations.

Like all ecosystems, it is the diversity that keeps us strong and healthy - we support many approaches! Organizers, community-based organizations, direct action, groups, lawyers, government/elected officials, people of faith, artist, thunders, and everyday Oregonians all have rules to play right now.

PIRC, as a nonprofit and an organization, which is for staff people, is limited in the role we can play, and we at times have to make more "careful" or "neutral" choices in order to preserve our most critical service, the hotline, but we support abroad array of strategy in tactics, and we know that a flourishing area of organizations and individuals is what makes us strong.

We hope you will join the struggle, whether that is by getting involved with us or with another immigration, organization, or by organizing with your neighbors, school, or faith community. It will take all of us to bring about our collective liberation.

If you have questions, concerns, or feedback for us, do not hesitate to reach out - you can email us at pircpdx@gmail.com and you can also call our emergency line at 971-940-9053.

• 11 detentions reported to the hotline between 1/18 and 1/25

• Primarily in Multnomah county with 2 detentions, each reported in Washington and Marion counties

• One additional detention reported during check-in at Macadam

• Ongoing reports of surveillance and presence in the community, including drones and agents asking police for a "protection. "