Oregon Senate Democrats unanimously voted to kill an effort to require that federal authorities be notified when an illegal immigrant convicted of a violent felony is about to be released from prison, leading the chamber’s top Republican to say the majority is choosing ideology over common sense.
In Oregon’s legislature, the minority caucus is permitted to file an alternative “minority report” to a majority party-led bill, which would then replace the majority’s legislation before it heads to the governor as a “last-ditch” effort to amend or stop a proposal, according to a source familiar with Salem’s processes.
This particular minority report would have directed state officials to notify federal authorities when an illegal immigrant convicted of a violent felony, such as murder, was about to be released. That would give ICE an opportunity to transfer the person to its custody without the kind of expansive resource deployment seen in some uncooperative blue cities.
The Oregon State Senate voted down the minority report for Senate Bill 1594, 18-12, along party lines, with one lawmaker excused, as Republicans warned of the tally’s public safety consequences.
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The original and active SB 1594 would require Oregon’s Justice Department to consult with the state Office of Immigration and Refugee Advancement on updated “model policies” at immigration facilities.
State Sen. Mark Meek, D-Oregon City, who is considered a moderate, defended his vote on the floor in Salem by saying that ICE should instead “sit outside” state prisons because recapturing subjects would be like “fishing in a pond; in a barrel.”
“If the federal government wants to be serious about taking care of that business, then that’s the place you should be,” Meek said.
Critics of that view said it would run counter to the left’s tendency to protest broad ICE operations in certain localities.
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Oregon’s corrections department previously tracked the immigration status of those convicted of felonies but has not run a check since 2022, after a 2021 bill restricted the tracking of whether an inmate has an ICE detainer, according to a source familiar with the matter.
“The vote runs contrary to the clear will of Oregonians and Americans across party lines, who overwhelmingly support the removal of illegal immigrants convicted of violent or serious crimes across multiple reputable polls,” the minority caucus said in a statement on the minority report’s failure.
State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, called the bill “as common sense as common sense gets.”
“Do we want violent felons who have no legal right to be present in Oregon to remain here, or should there at least be an opportunity for federal authorities to take custody?”
“The effect of voting ‘no’ today is to affirm that a person who is here illegally and commits a felony in Oregon should remain here as the felon is released from prison,” added state Sen. Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte.
Fox News Digital reached out to Oregon Senate President Robert Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, and Senate Majority Leader Kayse Jama, D-East Portland, for comment.