Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek was among dozens of elected officials throughout the country who received a warning from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi this week, as the governor continues to proclaim support for sanctuary laws that have rankled the Trump administration.
In letters that went out Thursday, Bondi said sanctuary jurisdictions could lose federal funding, and officials there could face criminal prosecution, if the Justice Department determines they are unlawfully impeding federal immigration enforcement.
“This ends now,” Bondi wrote, directing states to signal a commitment to eliminate sanctuary policies by Aug. 19 or prepare to face consequences.
“Any sanctuary jurisdiction that continues to put illegal aliens ahead of American citizens can either come to the table or see us in court,” Bondi wrote on the social media platform X on Thursday.
Any sanctuary jurisdiction that continues to put illegal aliens ahead of American citizens can either come to the table or see us in court.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) August 14, 2025
Today @TheJusticeDept delivered demand letters to sanctuary cities, counties, and states — a key step in our strategic effort to eradicate… pic.twitter.com/aKWNCY4hJN
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson’s office would not comment on whether it had received the same missive. Portland has a sanctuary policy and is on the DOJ’s list of sanctuary jurisdictions.
“Our legal team is reviewing incoming correspondence and we’ll hold off on commenting at this time,” said Cody Bowman, a spokesman for Wilson. “We’ll be in touch once we’re able to share an update.”
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson confirmed to news outlets Friday that he had also received a letter.
Oregon and Portland have policies on books barring local and state public employees from working with federal agents to enforce immigration law. That’s put both in the DOJ’s crosshairs as it works to identify sanctuary jurisdictions around the country.
Oregon is the oldest sanctuary state in the country, and since 1987 has served as a model for others. After Trump was first elected in 2016, Oregonians voted to keep the law in place, and state lawmakers have since strengthened it.
The state now blocks local jails from contracting with federal immigration enforcement to hold detainees.
The new correspondence from Bondi should come as no surprise. In April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the DOJ to identify sanctuary jurisdictions and any federal funding to those places that could be terminated.
At the time, both Kotek and Wilson said they had no intention of altering the policies.
In February, Portland joined a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s threat to pull funding from sanctuary jurisdictions.
“As a sanctuary city, we are focused on making Portland a safe, welcoming place for all community members,” said Wilson at the time. “We object to the federal government attempting to defund public safety, infrastructure and other critical services in our city.”
As she has in the past, Kotek on Friday reaffirmed her commitment to the state’s sanctuary laws.
“Threats like this undermine our values and our right to govern ourselves,” she said in a statement. “We will not be bullied into doing the federal government’s job of immigration enforcement.”
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield noted Friday that Trump attempted to pull federal grants from the state based on its sanctuary law during his first term. That effort was rejected by a federal judge.
“Our state’s sanctuary law has coexisted with 7 presidential administrations, including the first Trump administration. It has been upheld by a federal court,” Rayfield said in a statement. “It is my job to defend Oregon’s laws in court and that is what I intend to do.”
OPB reporters Alex Zielinski and Conrad Wilson contributed to this story.
