SPRINGFIELD – Lately, the public comment portion of Springfield City Council meetings has been dominated by folks protesting the implementation and use of Flock police cameras or preserving the Springfield Library budget. The topic shifted at the Dec. 1 meeting, though, as folks from all walks of life gathered to express concerns about the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Springfield.
At least 15 new ICE detentions were reported in Lane County by local advocates in November 2025, according to a KLCC report, and residents are regularly noting sightings of ICE vehicles in Springfield.
Over 25 folks made their voices heard to the council on Monday night, in a public comment period that lasted about an hour and a half. From 79-year-olds to 7-year-olds, the residents who spoke up made their message clear: ICE incites fear.
Residents requested a list of actions from the council:
- Declare a state of emergency;
- Pass a Springfield sanctuary resolution;
- Guarantee zero cooperation with ICE;
- Create an Emergency Family Protection fund;
- Require ICE agents to identify themselves to Springfield Police; and
- Provide real-time alerts when ICE is active.
“This is a moral crisis that is leaving trauma with our kids, in our communities, our youth, and we need real leadership right now, and with all due respect, many of you have chosen silence. Silence is not leadership,” one speaker said.
“I have friends who are brown, and I’ve been scared of losing them,” nine-year-old Zia Enson said. Next to Enson sat Michael Williams, a gentleman just a few days shy of 80.
“I never thought I’d be asking my city council to protect us from anonymous, masked guns, blindfolding, and kidnapping people off the streets. I remember seeing news footage of that happening in various foreign dictatorships; never thought that footage would be made in the United States,” Williams said. “This madness has to stop. Let’s start here in Springfield,” echoing the list of requests made times before him. “It may be uncomfortable in these political times to stand up for what we pledge allegiance to over there, but if you stand up, we will stand with you.”
Personal encounters
Jocelyn Sanchez, a Springfield School District employee, spoke about her personal encounter with ICE agents following her vehicle on her way to work one day.
“Many of the youth I serve, I’ve already seen a shift in their fear and anxiety. I’ve seen ICE vehicles roaming near our schools. I hear the worries from students who tell me they feel unsafe walking to and from school, and no child should have to carry that fear,” Sanchez said. “As adults, we should not have the fear of being followed, watched, or intimidated on the streets of our own city.”
Flock cameras a concern
Residents also mentioned the use of Flock cameras, and people voiced concerns about the license plate readers being used to track members of Hispanic and Latinx communities.
Alejandro A. brought an item with him when he spoke to the council.
“I am reminded by my parents that before I leave my home to make sure I have this, my American passport,” he said, holding up the familiar little blue book. “Because no matter if you are documented or not, when you look like me, a person of color and accent, you are a target.”
Sniffles in the crowd grew louder the more testimony was heard. Red, tear-filled eyes were common among the crowd, and many folks who went up to speak were choking back tears.
“I’m not asking (city council) to be on the front lines of our struggle. I’m asking you to acknowledge and use your privilege, as well to reassure the people, to reassure the children, to protect the people, to make an official statement and stand by it,” Alejandro said. “We are people, and we deserve to be heard, to be seen, and to be supported.”
Councilors thanked the folks who provided testimony and for their courage in speaking up.
“I learned I’m a member of the ‘privileged white.’ I’m embarrassed to hear that. I don’t feel that way. I empathize with everybody in this room. I feel the same way you do,” councilor Steve Moe said.
Councilor Kori Rodley said that residents deserve to “feel safe and deserves to feel protected.”
“I’m hearing that over and over again,” she said. “And the painful piece of this is that I personally cannot promise that I can keep every one of you safe or protect everyone from what is happening, from federal overreach and the repercussions of a federal election.
“Elections have consequences, and while we are here to tackle them in every possible way with what we can do at the city level, there are going to be things that we are going to disappoint you on because we are not going to have as much pull and say at this moment as we would like to,” Rodley said.
Mayor Sean VanGordon also addressed some of the requests made by citizens.
“Some of the asks are doable. Some of these asks may not be legal under federal law,” he said.
“The right step here is maybe to give us a chance to go back and get some more thought-out responses. I want to at least prepare people for the fact that some of the things you asked for… may not be something within our power to grant, especially restrictions on how ICE operates,” the mayor said.
