Oregonians will have the chance to vote to repeal the state’s sanctuary laws in this fall’s election.
The Oregon Secretary of State’s elections division tweeted Tuesday afternoon that Initiative Petition 22, or IP 22, qualified to appear on the Nov. 6 ballot.
It was introduced by three Republican state lawmakers who want to repeal a 1987 law that essentially says state and local resources can’t be used to enforce federal immigration laws if the person’s only crime is being in the United States illegally. The anti-sanctuary group, Oregonians For Immigration Reform, gained enough signatures to put it on the ballot.
Jim Ludwick, one of its members, says the current statute protects criminals.
"When you set up a policy that rewards people for not reporting other criminals, you only encourage more criminality," said Ludwick. "Why would anybody want a person living in their community who is afraid to turn in another criminal?"
This same group convinced voters to reject a measure in 2014 that would've issued driver's licenses without asking someone's citizenship status.