Tribal campus lockdown lifted

UPDATE: The Tribal campus lockdown has been lifted after Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez issued the following notification just before noon Wednesday, Oct. 22. 

"As of this morning Tribal Police were able to make contact and have confirmed the individuals on campus yesterday were not ICE agents," she said. "The Tribal Police (have) established a direct line of communication with the local ICE office and they have assured us that ICE would not operate on the Grand Ronde reservation without prior notification. With that said, Tribal Police (have) reason to believe that the two individuals were from a different federal agency. Tribal Police are in the process of establishing lines of communication with the local federal agencies to ensure that any future potential activity is communicated in advance. As always, please contact the Tribal Police if you see anything concerning in the area. At this time we are lifting the lockdown and all departments can resume regular business." 

PRIOR UPDATE: The Tribal campus will remain locked down for the remainder of the workweek, through Friday, Oct. 23. 

The campus was first locked down just after 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, after the Tribe received reports that two Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were on campus. It was reported that the agents had since left, but concerns remained. 

"Thank you for your vigilance and responsiveness this afternoon," Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez said. "We appreciate all of you springing into action to help bring awareness to a fluid situation. We are asking staff to leave Tribal buildings in lockdown for the remainder of the week. By locking things down, we are simply asking that all doors remained locked and that access be restricted to employees, Tribal members and those with normal business, which is to be expected. Employees and visitors are able to come and go as they please, but please utilize your badge to access buildings."

It was also requested that Tribal campus buildings have extension numbers posted on the front doors so that Tribal members have the ability to contact someone to gain access.

When the lockdown was first announced, an email alert was sent to all employees. 

“In the event you are approached by an ICE agent while at work, please remain calm and advise the agent that you do not have authority to allow access to workspaces or provide any Tribal documents,” Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez told employees in an email. “Please direct the ICE agent to the Tribal Police Department. Tribal Police are aware of the situation and will take the lead on all communications with ICE. You can reach the Tribal PD at 541-921-2927.”

The Tribe’s Facebook page noted that, “We recognize that this may cause concern within the membership. Please know that Tribal Council is working closely with the Tribal Police Department to monitor the situation.”

In addition to the campus-wide lockdown, the fish distribution at the Grand Ronde Food Bank was postponed to Wednesday, Oct. 22.