Oregon’s farmworker union PCUN and its allies are calling for a work and school stoppage day Dec. 18 in order to show support for immigrant communities threatened by increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in the state.
Oregonians are asked to avoid all economic activities, including work and shopping, for 24 hours to push back against what organizers called cruel and illegal tactics by ICE agents under the Trump administration.
Reyna Lopez, executive director of PCUN, said immigrants are the backbone of the state’s economy.
“We are the beating heart of the American workforce,” Lopez asserted. “Immigrants are essential workers who wake up every day to feed and care for Oregon families. We are the people who cook your food. We care for your gardens. Our hands tend to grapes that bottle your favorite wines.”
Lopez noted the event will be the first of eight monthly “blackout” days, leading up to May Day 2026. She added more than 1,900 immigrant Oregonians have been detained by ICE this year and said most have been denied access to an attorney for days or weeks. Those in favor of mass deportations argue tougher policies are necessary to manage the unauthorized immigrant population.
Sandy Chung, executive director of the ACLU of Oregon, said it is important every person and family make the choices right for them in terms of skipping school or work tomorrow but thinks people’s actions must match the severity of the situation.
“They are physically assaulting our neighbors,” Chung pointed out. “They are kidnapping them, regardless of citizenship status; they are locking them up. It is a very dire situation.”
Tomorrow is also the federal court hearing for PCUN’s lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and ICE to ensure people arrested by ICE have access to legal representation.
By Isobel Charle – Public News Service
