A throng of protesters gathered Tuesday morning in Northwest Portland to greet U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions as he arrived to discuss sanctuary city policies with city and regional law enforcement officials.
The rally was led by members of Voz Hispana Cambio Comunitario and Milenio.org, two local immigrant rights groups, and Portland’s Resistance is also listed on Facebook as a host of the event.
Police kept the group behind barriers as it chanted against Trump Administration policies. Several street blocks in the area of Northwest 15th Avenue and Overton were closed because of heightened security. Homeland Security officers also monitored the crowd.
Juan Rogel, executive director of Milenial.org, said he believes the attorney general’s visit amounted to a campaign stop ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
“He came to see if they (Republicans) can win some elections here,” he said.
There has long been simmering tension between the Trump Administration and both state and local officials in Oregon over sanctuary city and state movements. Sessions’ address centered on those disputes, pointing to the case of Sergio Martinez, who was deported 12 times and whose rap sheet spans across three states.
