Will Oregon continue to be a sanctuary state?

(OCTOBER 4, 2018) Every November, there is an election. Sometimes citizens elect people to government offices, such as mayor of the city, governor of the state, or president of the country. "To elect" means to choose. Other times, citizens vote yes or no on a new law or tax. That kind of question is called a ballot measure.

This year, one of the five state ballot measures is about Oregon's sanctuary law. A "sanctuary" is a safe place. Currently, Oregon law says no law enforcement agency (such as police) can use its resources to find or arrest people if their only violation is being in the country illegally. This law is not new. It is 31 years old. In fact, Oregon was the first state to be a sanctuary state.

Now, some people want to change that. They want voters to say yes to removing that law from the state. Supporters of the change want the state to work with federal immigration authorities. They say that it's important for safety. They believe the country can control immigration better with the cooperation of local law enforcement agencies.

However, others say that it's not the job of local police to do federal (national) work. They want to protect local resources. Also, they don't want racial profiling, which is discrimination based on what people look like or how they speak.

If voters say yes to the ballot measure, then the law is repealed. That means it is cancelled or stopped. Oregon would have no sanctuary law.

If voters say no to the ballot measure, then the law stays the same. It does not change. Oregon would continue to have a sanctuary law.

The election is Tuesday, November 6, 2018.