Immigration arrests across the Pacific Northwest increased sharply last year, approaching historic highs, according to newly released research from the University of Washington Center for Human Rights.
The report shows a significant increase in enforcement activity by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) throughout Oregon and Washington.
Arrests rise in multiple regions
In Oregon, immigration arrests surged in the fall months, with the largest increases reported in the Portland metropolitan area and Marion County, Oregon.
Meanwhile, enforcement actions in Washington state climbed steadily during the year, with the most noticeable growth occurring in Clark County, Washington, Yakima County, Washington and King County, Washington.
Between October and December alone, the report found that 1,174 individuals were detained in Oregon, while 951 people were taken into custody in Washington.
Data reveals enforcement patterns
The dataset provides one of the first detailed looks at immigration enforcement activity in the Pacific Northwest from late October through December.
Researchers said obtaining information about enforcement operations can be difficult. In many cases, organizations must pursue Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and sometimes litigation to access the data.
Previous large datasets were released by groups such as the Deportation Data Project, though updates had not been made since the previous year.
Information gathered from immigration forms
The new report relies on information from I-213 forms, which are used by immigration authorities to document the initial apprehension of individuals considered deportable.
The data tracks immigration arrests in Oregon, Washington and Alaska between 2022 and 2025.
Angelina Godoy, director of the University of Washington Center for Human Rights, said immigrant communities had already been reporting an increase in enforcement activity.
According to Godoy, the data supports those reports and has raised concerns among advocates about potential civil rights violations connected to some enforcement actions.
Technology used in some arrests
Researchers also found that some of the increase was linked to non-custodial arrests, including operations carried out in public places such as streets and workplaces.
In certain cases, immigration officers used technology like license plate readers to identify individuals who might be subject to deportation. The report suggests this technology sometimes allowed officers to make arrests within minutes, even in cases where warrants had not been obtained beforehand.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the findings.
The story was produced as part of the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media outlets in Oregon and Washington.
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