‘Unacceptable’: Dexter decries shutdown, ICE detentions

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Over 200 people filled the bleachers of Portland’s Roosevelt High School Saturday for an in-person town hall hosted by Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.).

Dexter has held frequent town halls, both in-person and virtual, but this one comes amid increased ICE activity in the metro area as well as the government shutdown entering its second month.

The congresswoman is a vocal critic of Trump administration policies, recently

calling for more accountability in actions taken by DHS after being denied access to ICE facilities on multiple occasions.

Rep. Dexter was also a critical advocate in the case of Jackie Merlos, a Portland woman who was detained by immigration authorities, despite a judge dropping proceedings to remove her from the United States. She was released from custody and reunited with her family on Oct. 27, Oregon lawmakers announced.

On Friday, Rep. Dexter, alongside Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and 58 other Democratic members of the Senate and House, introduced a bill to ensure anyone detained by DHS can directly speak to a lawyer and contact their families.

“That already should be law,” Dexter told KOIN 6 News. “But when someone is taken, that gives them the right that – again, they should already have – but allows them to call their families, to call a lawyer, to get a lawyer and to have that communication paid for. That should be already the case, but it’s not happening.”

Dexter also addressed questions regarding the government shutdown at the town hall, calling it “unacceptable” and noting the President should be taking steps to unify both sides of the legislative branch.

“Our job is to fund government. The Republicans control the House and the Senate, they can bring us back at any time,” she said. “It is a failure of the Executive branch. The president, when there’s a shutdown, because his job is to bring people together and force a negotiation. And that hasn’t happened. He’s not requiring anyone to talk. And that is a failure of our president as well.”

As of Saturday morning, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters that senators will remain in session until a deal is unlocked to reopen the government as the shutdown reached Day 39 with members still far from an agreement. 

Costumed members of the Portland Frog Brigade were in attendance. The movement sprung from when a protester wearing an inflatable frog costume was pepper-sprayed by federal agents outside Portland’s ICE facility, inspiring other organizations like Operation Inflation.

One of the members, known as “Ribbit Wrangler” told KOIN 6 News they came out “to bring some joy and celebration into the community and to show [their] solidarity with the cause of fighting authoritarianism and fashion fascism here in Portland and around and around the country.”