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Investigation Clears 3 Multnomah County Deputies Who Tipped Off ICE Agents

<p>Multnomah County Courthouse in downtown Portland, Oregon.</p>

Bradley W. Parks

Multnomah County Courthouse in downtown Portland, Oregon.

Multnomah County deputies who gave federal immigration agents information about people wanted for possible deportation will not be punished.  

Sheriff Mike Reese has determined the three deputies did not intentionally violate county policy or state law when they helped federal officials.

A sheriff’s deputy said he gave U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers specifics about when someone on pretrial release would be at the county’s Justice Center in downtown Portland for a court-mandated appointment, according to emails obtained by OPB.  

"The investigation revealed areas where policy direction was not clear, and members were conducting business within the parameters provided by a previous administration. The case files have been closed with a finding of not sustained," the sheriff's department said in a statement.

Last year deputies at a county court facility told ICE agents where and when people they were seeking for possible deportation would be.  

Since those incidents, the sheriff has clarified county policy to bring it in line with Oregon’s sanctuary law.

That 30-year-old law forbids local and state law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration officers if they’re seeking people whose only offense is being in the country illegally.

Copyright 2017 Oregon Public Broadcasting

OPB Staff