Oregon’s U.S. Attorney sued several counties near the Portland metro area on Wednesday, accusing them of refusing to share information about people in the country unlawfully who have been convicted of violent crimes.

Federal attorneys and investigators with the Department of Homeland Security had reportedly sought information about 10 people, most of whom are originally from Mexico, who had served prison sentences for crimes ranging from sexual assault of a minor to manslaughter.

U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford said investigators are seeking up-to-date information about the individuals. They said each of the men served multiyear prison sentences and has since been paroled.

“Rather than allowing federal officials to investigate prisoners to ascertain whether they are citizens of the United States and potentially subject to removal and detention, Oregon has ignored all federal requests for information or access to prisoners for interviews,” Bradford wrote in a 21-page legal filing.

The latest lawsuit is yet another stress test for Oregon’s sanctuary laws. It says county leaders mostly refused to hand over any information because state law prohibits them from helping enforce any immigration laws. Most Oregon counties — specifically their community corrections departments — are responsible for overseeing parole for people recently released from prison.

The subpoenas are linked to a separate lawsuit filed by Marion County in August. After receiving those subpoenas from the federal government, the county sued the state and federal officials in order to get direction on which laws to follow.

The U.S. Attorney’s lawsuit said that Homeland Security investigators had been looking for the 10 individuals, but only had outdated information that was not leading to any arrests. Agents decided to demand updated information from the county departments.

“The information sought by the subject subpoenas involve individuals who have raped Oregon citizens, sexually abused Oregon children, and committed other aggravated felonies such as manslaughter, burglary, assault, sexual assault and drug trafficking,” Bradford wrote.

The subpoenas were all sent out July 30, according to the lawsuit. That would be the second day of Bradford’s leadership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon. Bradford was Trump’s pick to lead the office and was sworn in July 28.

Marion County said it received five warrants from Homeland Security that day, while the U.S. Attorney’s Office highlighted just three cases in the latest filing.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Multnomah, Marion and Washington county officials did not immediately respond.

In a statement, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s office said they’re waiting for direction from the court.

None of the individuals whose details are being sought are named in the lawsuit. While nine of them originally hail from Mexico, one man is said to be from Honduras, the lawsuit said. Each was convicted of a violent crime, ranging from kidnapping and robbery to sexual assault. Some spent more than a decade in prison.

Aliza Kaplan, a law professor at Lewis & Clark in Portland and a board member of Innovation Law Lab, a group that has repeatedly challenged Trump’s deportation plans, said that the state’s sanctuary laws protect everyone regardless of their criminal histories.

“We either respect our state laws and follow them — or we don’t,” Kaplan told OPB. “It shouldn’t matter who the population is.”

Oregon’s sanctuary laws are decades old, but were bolstered in 2021 by state lawmakers following Trump’s first-term deportation plans. The law prohibits state and federal resources from being used to enforce federal immigration law.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/01/us-attorney-scott-bradford-immigration-enforcement-ice-sanctuary-state/