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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! If you’ve been holed inside avoiding the sun for the past four days, you should go outside today, because it’s set to be a wonderful 75 degrees. Hallelujah!
The news hasn’t cooled down, though, so read on.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Two asylum seekers were arrested by ICE in Portland yesterday after their hearings in immigration court. Both of the people arrested came to the US from Latin America after facing political violence in their home countries, and had shown up to court for required hearings in order to follow the law. They were met with arrest without due process. In the past couple weeks, two other asylum seekers were arrested by ICE in Portland. In both of the previous arrests, the people seeking asylum were transferred out of state to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. Those taken into custody yesterday apparently received federal court orders prohibiting federal law enforcement from forcing them out of Oregon.
In response to the news, protesters have been gathering at the ICE headquarters in the South Waterfront. As President Trump and his friends continue to double down on violent, anti-immigrant policy and crack down on dissent, it seems likely the protests will only continue to get larger—especially as planned “No Kings Day” protests on Saturday (Trump’s birthday) grow nearer. Be careful, be prepared, and look out for each other.
• Northwest medical provider PeaceHealth, which operates major hospitals in Vancouver, Washington and Eugene (among other places), is laying off more than 100 workers—1 percent of its total workforce—amid financial challenges. The majority of people losing their jobs work at the hospitals in Vancouver and Eugene, and most serve as lab techs, mobility aides, or in other support and administrative positions that are crucial to hospital function. The laid off workers say they think PeaceHealth leaders don’t fully understand how important their jobs are, and are urging their bosses to reconsider in union demonstrations. Find out more in Abe Asher’s story, linked here.
Lake Oswego City Hall and a private corporation are on the hook for the majority of the fees.
— The Oregonian (@oregonian.com) June 11, 2025 at 9:00 AM
• Portland city councilors are scheduled for another prolonged budget discussion today, as they try to finalize the city’s 2025-26 spending plan. They’ll start at 9:30 and end at 6pm. That seems like plenty of time, but yesterday, the Council took hours to consider just a few amendments. Among the approved budget changes: cuts to the city’s Urban Forestry department (with some tree code responsibilities being shuffled over to the main permitting and development department).
A few items we’ll be tracking closely:
- Whether or not Council approves a proposal from Councilor Steve Novick to transfer all requests for welfare checks (sending an officer to check on someone) from the Portland Police Bureau to unarmed responders.
- A proposal for housing stabilization for the Everett Station Lofts, which tenants say has been operating outside the bounds of an affordable housing agreement.
Stay tuned!
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• As I said earlier, the Trump administration is continuing its dual assault on immigrants (with and without documents) and protesters. Of course, ground zero for the chaos is in Los Angeles, where the president has deployed federal troops against the wishes of Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass. Yesterday, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin defended the use of military force against people on American soil and even insinuated the anti-ICE protesters in LA are bought and paid for, possibly by a “foreign adversary.” Because there’s no other reason people would be opposed to the inhumane and illegal arrests of immigrants and asylum seekers (and the subsequent use of federal force against protesters).
• Yesterday, Mayor Karen Bass declared an 8 pm curfew in a small part of downtown LA in an attempt to curb “bad actors who are taking advantage of the President’s chaotic escalation.” On the first night of the curfew, 100 people were arrested for breaking it. It seems likely the rule will continue in the following days. Again, this is all starting in LA, but don’t be surprised to see similar situations play out in cities across the country as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on dissent.
Amid President Trump’s crackdown on immigration, Khaby Lame, the world’s most-followed person on TikTok, was detained by U.S. immigration agents in Las Vegas for overstaying a visa and then left the U.S. Another Gen Z influencer who is also a pro-Trump activist took credit.
— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) June 11, 2025 at 6:10 AM
• In other news, Elon Musk has attempted to “apologize” (not really) for his anti-Trump posting spree last week, which was probably the best thing he’s ever done in my eyes. (The posting, not the apologizing.) In a 3 am post on X (but he’s definitely not doing drugs!), Musk wrote his posts last week “went too far.” As for Trump, he said in a podcast he has “no hard feelings” toward Musk and actually isn’t even thinking about him at all. Oh, yeah. Sure. Remember, this online battle resulted in Musk accusing Trump of being a conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein and a child predator, but I guess that doesn’t actually matter to these people.
• Breaking news: Stricter gun laws save children’s lives. This may be obvious to many, but it was just proven in a study that shows states with lax gun laws had a rise in pediatric gun deaths between 2011 and 2023, while those with stricter laws didn’t. This study probably won’t do much to influence anyone in power, but it is good to have cold hard evidence.
• That’s all for now, folks. Have a good Wednesday!
