The Hillsboro City Council, Mayor Beach Pace, City Manager Robby Hammond, and city staff worked for several hours on a plan to address the State of Emergency caused by immigration arrests and the fallout that is devastating the community. During November, immigration-related arrests by ICE ramped up. Community members of all colors and all walks of life exercised their Civic rights to be heard and poured into City Hall. The first Council meeting in November sparked a severe storm of activity, with demands for a State of Emergency and help on all fronts. The second meeting saw even more pressure and testimony, and all of it was passionate. Mayor Pace and many Councilors seemed reluctant to declare a State of Emergency after the first meeting. But overwhelming evidence, social media posts, calls, emails, and the simple facts changed any doubters. By the end of the November 18th meeting, these leaders were making moves to declare a State of Emergency, fund Community-Based Organizations to help those affected the most, and listen to serious proposals from each of our Councilors.
The work session on the 24th, a special meeting, featured specific plans, concrete movement, and some significant moves. Additional calls for the Creation of a Civil Rights and Humanitarian Department and for stronger codes for city property are also making progress. Residents of Hillsboro have a lot to fear, but also a lot to be proud of. Their voices have been heard, and actions in response have been and are being taken. This situation, Hillsboro being picked on by Federal agents, is an impossible one to deal with. We all should be very proud of how far things have moved, and I, for one, applaud what our leaders have done so far, not the least of which is City Manager Robby Hammond , and assistant City Managers Simone Brooks and Rhaim Harji . Great leadership rises when needed, and we are seeing that happen. Is there more to do? For sure. Many still want the Hillsboro Police Department to be more active and involved- and that is something to focus on this month. Without residents and the City working together to make things better, the people of Hillsboro have no shot at weathering this most ferocious storm.
Next Up: 12-2-25 – City Council Meeting —- Citizens Can Speak For 3 Minutes And Need To Continue To Do So-
CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDATuesday, December 2, 2025TVCTV Livestream • Civic Center Auditorium • Zoom TeleconferenceSign-language interpreters, are available at no cost. To arrange, please call 503-681-6100 or TTY 503-681-6284, 72 hours prior to the meeting.Translation services are available by using the QR code above, or the link below. |
Zoom Teleconference
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Official Response From the City – Work Session…