Sean Davis for Astoria

Recently, someone asked me what I think about ICE and the immigration raids taking place in communities across our country. The answer is simple: I am outraged.

I spent twelve years in the United States Army. I was deployed several times into some of the most chaotic places in the world, places where fear, confusion, poverty, violence, and political instability were part of everyday life, and in those environments, something was drilled into us again and again: authority carries responsibility.

We were armed. We wore the uniform of the United States. We had enormous power over the people around us. And precisely because we had that power, we were expected to exercise discipline and restraint. So when I see masked federal agents moving through American neighborhoods, without clearly visible identification, pulling people from vehicles, frightening families, and using force against people in our own communities, I can’t let that go. Seeing these injustices are a big part of the reason I decided to run for office. I love this country and seeing it like it is, I felt I needed to be a positive force in my community. 

A badge does not erase the Constitution. A federal agency does not get a morality exemption, and Americans should never become comfortable with government agents hiding their identities while exercising enormous power over ordinary people. This is also deeply personal to me. My grandmother’s first language was not English. She grew up in an adobe home with a dirt floor in New Mexico, but she deliberately did not teach her children or grandchildren Spanish. Why? Because she believed speaking Spanish would make people think less of them.

Think about how painful that is. Part of my family’s history, language, and culture was intentionally allowed to disappear because my grandmother believed her descendants would have a better chance in America if they sounded more like everyone else. That story has stayed with me my whole life.

And today, when I see LatinX families frightened in their own neighborhoods, when I see people wondering whether their surname, their accent, or the color of their skin will make them a target, I think about my grandma, my abuelita. Nobody should have to erase part of themselves to prove that they belong here.

Now, there is an obvious question. What can the mayor of a small city like Astoria possibly do about a federal agency like ICE? The truthful answer is: a mayor cannot order ICE out of town. A mayor cannot rewrite federal immigration law. A mayor cannot command federal officers. I won’t lie or make grand claims about what I can do as mayor, but that does not mean a mayor is powerless.

I would make sure our city policies are clear. I would make sure our employees understand them. I would make sure residents know their rights and know where to find legitimate legal assistance. I would work directly with Consejo Hispano and other trusted community organizations to make sure immigrants and their families know where they can obtain legal assistance, understand their rights, and get help when they are frightened or uncertain about what to do.

There may come a moment when the most important thing a mayor can do is simply show up. If federal agents were violating people’s constitutional rights in Astoria, I would be there. Not directing the police to break the law. Not encouraging violence. Not pretending that being mayor gives me authority that I don’t have. I mean standing there as an American citizen. Bearing witness and speaking out. I have always run toward the danger.

Immigration law exists. The federal government has the authority to enforce it. We can have serious disagreements about what those laws should be and how our immigration system should work, but there is a line between enforcing a law and terrorizing a community. And I hate bullies. 

I can’t promise the people of Astoria that a small-town mayor can stop the federal government, but I will promise to use every lawful authority of the office to protect the rights of the people who live here. I will demand accountability from anyone exercising government power in our community, whether they work for Astoria, Oregon, or Washington, D.C.