Attorney General Dan Rayfield, Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez, Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton, and Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth today released a formal letter demanding that the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security immediately halt unlawful and reckless actions by federal officers operating in Oregon.
The letter, sent to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, details a months-long pattern of excessive force by DHS personnel — including incidents where federal officers used munitions that struck Portland Police Bureau officers and Oregon State Police officers, and tear-gas deployments that endangered residents and other law enforcement. Oregon officials have also documented the same trend outside of Portland, where federal agents have escalated basic encounters into volatile situations that put residents, officers and bystanders at risk.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, you have to follow the law and our Constitution,” said Attorney General Rayfield. “We are asking the federal government to take reasonable steps towards prevention and de-escalation. We are putting them on notice that we are watching and will hold them accountable if they do not follow the law.”
“Law enforcement, federal or local, has a responsibility to accomplish their mission while ensuring everyone’s safety,” said Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez. “Gratuitous force has no place at any level of law enforcement.”
“I am proud to join my fellow Portland area district attorneys and the Oregon Attorney General in a combined effort to protect the rights of Oregonians,” said Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton. “Pursuant to Oregon law, state and local law enforcement officials are not involved with federal immigration matters. However, when we hear concerning reports of excessive use of force and accounts of Oregonians who feel unsafe in their own communities, we are obligated to speak up.”
“I am deeply concerned by the tactics federal agents are using in their immigration arrests,” said Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth. “If these tactics were used by local law enforcement to apprehend non-violent offenders, there would be public outrage and rightfully so.”
In October, an unmarked van with federal agents stopped a group of teenagers at gunpoint at a Dutch Bros drive-thru in Hillsboro, prompting multiple 911 calls from concerned community members. Last week, federal agents arrested a 17-year-old high school student and U.S. citizen in McMinnville by stopping his car and breaking through his window while he was on his lunch break from school. These incidents, among others, raised urgent alarm for the Attorney General and all three District Attorneys.
The letter serves as formal notice that the Oregon Department of Justice and the three District Attorney’s Offices are actively monitoring federal conduct and will investigate any case where a federal officer appears to be acting outside the reasonable scope of their duties. When evidence of criminal behavior exists, cases may be referred to District Attorney Vasquez, District Attorney Barton, or District Attorney Wentworth for potential prosecution. The letter emphasizes that the Supremacy Clause does not shield federal officers who exceed their lawful authority.
Attorney General Rayfield and the District Attorneys also issued five specific demands, including halting unlawful actions, improving training, coordinating with local law-enforcement agencies at the Portland ICE facility, investigating excessive-force complaints, and cooperating fully with state investigations.
Evidence cited in the letter includes sworn testimony from State of Oregon v. Donald Trump, where senior officials from DHS and the Portland Police Bureau acknowledged that federal officers repeatedly used disproportionate and unjustified force against nonviolent protesters and, at times, against other law-enforcement personnel.
“These are not normal circumstances,” the letter states. “The volume and severity of force used by DHS officers in Oregon over the last six months has eroded trust, jeopardized public safety, and undermined the cooperative relationships that effective law enforcement depends on.”
Attorney General Rayfield and the District Attorneys emphasized that Oregon remains willing to collaborate with federal partners — but that collaboration must be grounded in lawful conduct, accountability, and respect for civil rights.
