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Oregon Governor Issues Executive Order Meant To Solidify State's Sanctuary Status

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signs an executive order on immigration policies at the State Capitol in Salem.
Chris Lehman
/
Northwest News Network
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signs an executive order on immigration policies at the State Capitol in Salem.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued an executive order Thursday meant to counteract President Trump's recent directives on immigration. The Democrat also announced a possible lawsuit against Trump’s actions.

Oregon's 30-year-old sanctuary law bans state and local law enforcement agencies from arresting people solely on the basis of their immigration status. Brown's executive order supports that and bans state agencies from treating people in the country illegally any differently based on their immigration status.

Brown said that doesn't routinely happen, but she said it's important to make a statement against the president's immigration policies.

"If we believe in equality and democracy, if we believe in law and justice, then each of us, when we see or believe errors are being made, has an obligation to make every effort to correct them,” the governor said.

Brown's order also prohibits state agencies from assisting the federal government if the Trump administration establishes a religious registry. And it asks Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to explore ways to challenge Trump's executive order in court.

Copyright 2017 Northwest News Network

Chris Lehman
Chris Lehman graduated from Temple University with a journalism degree in 1997. He landed his first job less than a month later, producing arts stories for Red River Public Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Three years later he headed north to DeKalb, Illinois, where he worked as a reporter and announcer for NPR–affiliate WNIJ–FM. In 2006 he headed west to become the Salem Correspondent for the Northwest News Network.