Following nearly three hours of emotional public testimony over the impact of immigration arrests, Salem city councilors voted Monday to reaffirm the city’s commitment to following state sanctuary laws and to draft a declaration of a state of emergency over increased federal immigration activities which many speakers described as terrorizing the community. The first motion, brought by Council President Linda Nishioka, reaffirmed the city’s commitment to inclusion and stated its support for Oregon sanctuary law. It passed 7-2, with Councilors Shane Matthews and Deanna Gwyn voting against the motion.  Matthews and Gwyn, along with Salem Mayor Julie Hoy, also voted against drafting a declaration of a state of emergency, a motion brought by Councilor Vanessa Nordyke.  Nordyke’s motion also directs the city’s Human Rights Commission and city staff to prepare a “know your rights” forum for residents affected by federal immigration enforcement.  City Councilor Vanessa Nordyke speaks about immigration enforcement during a meeting at Loucks Auditorium on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) The council’s action comes after recent immigration enforcement has sparked intense fear and concern throughout the area, and follows emergency declarations from Hillsboro and Woodburn last week. Over 200 people filled the auditorium at the Salem Public Library for Monday’s meeting, and several dozen people took turns calling on the city to declare a state of emergency, enforce traffic violations against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles and set up a fund for families affected by deportations. In an opening statement, Hoy voiced support for Salem’s immigrant communities and described the immense fear and threats felt by the community as “a nightmare.” “When our residents are worried, when parents fear taking their children to school, when workers wonder if they can safely report to work, we have a problem which needs to be acknowledged and addressed,” she said. Nordyke, who is challenging Hoy for mayor, also made a statement at the meeting’s start. “I know that ICE is intentionally creating an atmosphere of fear, and that is undermining trust, it is breaking up families and is absolutely damaging the social fabric of our city,” she said. She listed resources like the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition and the Oregon Department of Justice, which both have hotlines to report ICE activity and immigration resources. Mayor Julie Hoy during a city council meeting that largely focused on the city’s response to immigration enforcement held at Loucks Auditorium on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Hoy announced that the city launched a new website Monday listing resources for immigration enforcement, including the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition, the Oregon Department of Justice and Legal Aid Services of Oregon. It also has information on ICE agents’ authority, sanctuary law and Salem police policies. Speakers cited increased activity by ICE and other federal agents in Salem over the last couple of months. On Nov. 11, immigration agents arrested at least 26 people in Salem, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman previously told Salem Reporter. It is the largest single-day immigration arrest total in recent city history, according to immigrant rights groups. WATCH IT: Testimony, votes on immigration enforcement Ahead of the meeting, Latinos Unidos Siempre, a local youth-led grassroots group, posted a list of demands for the city, which include a declaration of a state of emergency over ICE activity, a fund for families affected by deportations and city policy that builds on state sanctuary law. There were also demands for the Salem Police Department to promise never to sign an agreement with federal agencies for immigration enforcement. Doing so would violate Oregon’s sanctuary law. Audience members show their sentiments at the Salem City Council meeting at Loucks Auditorium on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Public testimony While many people who spoke at the meeting made demands of the city for concrete action to protect and support immigrant communities, some testimony included personal stories of how recent ICE activity has affected them. A student from the Salem-Keizer School District shared his experience as students are increasingly scared of federal agents taking their parents. “I have seen and heard the fear my peers carry, fears about immigration enforcement, fear about whether ICE will show up in our neighborhoods and fear about whether our families will still be together when we get home from school,” said the student, Sirr, who did not give a last name. “These when and ifs are not abstract ideas to us, they are conversations happening in school hallways and classrooms and on the bus ride home. This fear affects how we learn, it affects how we show up to class, it affects whether some students even feel safe enough to come at all.” As people spoke, many in the audience held signs reading “Stop ICE,” “This is an emergency” and “Stop the terror!” Some stood along the auditorium’s back holding a large banner depicting a masked ICE agent. More than 10 people stood outside the library as a counter-protest to the people testifying to the city council. Some got into verbal altercations with people leaving the meeting. The audience listens to testimony at the Salem City Council meeting held at Loucks Auditorium on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Salem resident Geovanny Tolentino, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and teacher in Hillsboro, reflected on his time as a student at Sprague High School. “As a student, I grew up haunted by stories of deportation. Abuelos, tíos y primos,” he said, referring to grandparents, uncles and cousins in Spanish. “Graduating as a first generation Chicano was a victory, because it was plagued by anxiety over whether I would get to celebrate it with my parents.” Tolentino called Hoy and Nordyke’s statements at the start of the meeting “a slap in the face” to families like his who have feared ICE for years, students scared to come to school and Salem’s immigrant business owners and street vendors. Ashley Cervantes, who lives with her family in unincorporated east Salem, spoke of the strong fear she feels about the threat of ICE arrests made outside of city limits.  “If ICE were to raid that area, there would be nothing we could do and Salem City Council needs to be painfully aware of this and work to incorporate these vulnerable and unrepresented areas of Salem,” she said. Like many others Monday night, Cervantes described ICE and federal agents as ripping apart families and terrorizing communities. She cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that allows ICE agents to use race as a factor to detain and question people and called on the council to declare an emergency and plan for raids outside of city limits. “They are not here to make our community safer, they are here to terrorize and rip apart our community, our neighbors, our friends, our families,” she said, referring to ICE agents. “Not a day goes by where I am not afraid for my own family. Will I come home from work to an empty house, not knowing that my husband and toddler were swept up in a raid?” Few at the meeting spoke in favor of ICE, but Mike Slagle, chair of Marion County Republicans, voiced his support of the agency and its enforcement. During his testimony, Slagle said that people who are legal citizens “you’re not gonna get deported, you’re not gonna go to jail.”  “It’ll feel a lot better, if you’re a citizen you won’t feel scared,” he said.  Signs outside Loucks Auditorium on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 as Salem city councilors discussed the city’s response to immigration arrests. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Council discussion During the discussion leading up to the vote on Nishioka’s motion, Councilor Irvin Brown spoke at length from his perspective as a man of faith with tears in his eyes.  “I do not understand those individuals who call themselves Christians but yet they are OK with seeing families torn apart. I do not understand when folks who call themselves Christian are OK with seeing folks being snatched off the street with folks with a hood on,” Brown said.  Brown said Christianity preaches taking care of the community including refugees and immigrants. He called on the governor and county commissioners to step in to assist during this time.  Matthews said he didn’t vote against the two motions because he is not sympathetic to those affected by ICE activity, but because he is wary of shining the spotlight on a city that already follows state sanctuary laws.  “This does not seem to bode well for communities. And I say that because in April, the White House issued a policy, and named it, cracking down on sanctuary cities. And they said by May they want a list of all sanctuary cities,” Matthews said.  Matthews said he did not want the council’s decision to bring further scrutiny on the city from ICE putting the very community members they hoped to protect in further danger. Matthews pointed out that cities that have made similar declarations have seen even more immigration enforcement activity.  Hoy did not address her reason for voting no on the path toward an emergency declaration. “I want to commend council for coming together on a very difficult topic. We don’t get to talk about these things outside of these meetings, and this is a very complex issue, and yet here we are navigating this in front of everyone, and it is not particularly comfortable or easy,” she said ahead of the vote. An audience member gives testimony at the Salem City Council Meeting held at Loucks Auditorium on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Gwyn said she is concerned that the declaration, while making no difference, only gives a false sense of security to those affected.  Councilors acknowledged that on its own, an emergency declaration would not impact immigration enforcement, but those who supported the motion said they felt they needed to make a statement in support of the community. The motion directs City Manager Krishna Namburi to draft an emergency declaration that will be presented to the council at its Dec. 1 meeting. Councilor Micki Varney did not hold back in her explanation of the current state of affairs in Salem.  “This is an emergency. It is a crisis. These illegal kidnappings should not be happening. But they are. Due process matters, but it is not happening,” Varney said, eliciting a few heckles from the audience. “I agree that the terror needs to stop and when it comes to the ICE agents and their impersonators … They promote hate and fear and terrorize and create division, destruction and violence against others. They have appalling destructive behavior and they are cowards. They hide behind their makeshift masks. And this is real. It is domestic terrorism that is occurring.”  Kaylee Tolentino gives testimony at Loucks Auditorium on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected]. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. 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