Rep. Yunker: Sanctuary policies, DOJ failures put safety at risk

Rep. Dwayne Yunker: Sanctuary Policies and DOJ Failures Put Public Safety at Risk
By Oregon State Representative Dwyane Yunker,

Grants Pass, Ore. — Representative Dwayne Yunker (R–Grants Pass) issued the following statement in response to yesterday’s ICE shooting of suspected Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members after an enforcement stop in which the driver attempted to strike agents with his vehicle:

“First, I want to thank the ICE officers who continue to do a difficult and dangerous job under increasingly hostile conditions. When state and local systems fail, federal agents are often left to step in, at greater risk to themselves and the public.

“The pattern is clear and predictable: illegal immigration combined with weak enforcement leads to fraud and violent crime; sanctuary policies push arrests out of secure settings and into neighborhoods; and reckless political rhetoric raises tensions instead of restoring order. These outcomes were foreseeable and preventable.

“What stands out is what Oregon Democrats refuse to address. Governor Tina Kotek’s statement yesterday condemned federal enforcement using partisan language while ignoring the fraud and violent crime committed by foreign nationals who should not be on our streets. Similar responses from U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum and State Representatives Dacia Grayber, Ricky Ruiz, and Cyrus Javadi for example attacked law enforcement while avoiding any serious discussion of public safety failures.

“Oregonians are right to ask why these officials continue to defend policies that shield illegal aliens involved in public-assistance fraud, daycare scams, benefit abuse, Oregon Health Plan fraud, and organized violent crime including trafficking, drug dealing, and assault. When ideology is placed ahead of enforcement, public safety and taxpayers lose.

“What is needed now is straightforward: accountability for state enforcement failures, targeted action against fraud and trafficking networks, and an honest reassessment of sanctuary-state and soft-on-crime policies that have made public safety worse rather than better.

“Last year I chief-sponsored House Bill 3551, which would have allowed cooperation with federal immigration authorities for individuals convicted of violent felonies, Class A misdemeanors, and felony sex offenses. That bill was blocked by House Democrats. Oregonians were assured these policies posed no public-safety risk. Recent events suggest otherwise.”

Facts about Oregon House Bill 3551 (2025):
https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/HB3551
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