Repeal Oregon's Expensive Sanctuary Status

Oregon's Sanctuary Nightmare: Preventable Crimes, Taxpayer Burdens, and the Urgent Need for Change

Oregon, the nation's first sanctuary state since 1987, has entrenched policies that shield illegal immigrants from federal enforcement, even after arrests for serious crimes. Laws like ORS 181A.820 and the 2021 Sanctuary Promise Act bar local authorities from cooperating with ICE without a judicial warrant, creating a haven where criminal illegal aliens can remain free to offend again.

The undeniable truth: Every crime committed by an illegal immigrant is 100% preventable.

If that person had been deported after their first encounter with law enforcement—or never allowed to stay—the crime would add zero to Oregon's statistics. It is mathematically impossible for the state's crime rate not to rise when these individuals commit offenses that would otherwise never occur. This isn't about comparing group crime rates; it's about the simple fact that each illegal alien crime inflates Oregon's totals unnecessarily, victimizing citizens who deserve protection.

Analysts from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) hammer this home. CIS documents how sanctuary policies obstruct enforcement and shield criminals. FAIR labels these jurisdictions "magnets for migrants, covers for criminals," noting they undermine the rule of law and enable preventable tragedies.

In Oregon, reporter David Olen Cross has chronicled hundreds of foreign nationals—many illegal—incarcerated for violent crimes, including murders, rapes, and sex offenses, using Department of Corrections data.

High-profile horrors prove the point.

In 2018, illegal immigrant Martin Gallo-Gallardo was arrested for domestic violence in Multnomah County. ICE lodged a detainer, but sanctuary rules led to his release without cooperation. Months later, he murdered his wife— a tragedy ICE called directly attributable to the failure to honor the detainer.

Other cases include illegal aliens released after DUIs or assaults, only to kill Oregon couples in crashes or commit further violence. These are not anomalies; they are the direct result of policies that prioritize non-cooperation over public safety.The cycle is vicious and costly.

Convicted criminal illegal aliens serve time in Oregon prisons—at an average cost of over $50,000 per inmate annually, fully funded by taxpayers. Sanctuary rules often block automatic deportation, releasing them back to the streets. If they reoffend—murder, rape, assault—the process restarts: more arrests, more trials, more incarceration, more taxpayer dollars wasted.

FAIR estimates illegal immigration already costs Oregon billions in criminal justice, education, and healthcare, with sanctuary policies prolonging the burden.Recent developments in 2025-2026 underscore the urgency.

With increased ICE operations under the Trump administration arresting thousands in Oregon, including criminal aliens, sanctuary holdouts continue to resist.

This is a horrendous and expensive policy that must end.

Oregonians deserve protection from crimes that never needed to happen. Repealing sanctuary laws—honoring ICE detainers for serious offenders, prioritizing deportation—would stop the cycle, reduce preventable violence, and put citizens first. Anything less invites more victims and more waste.

The time to act is now.