Oregon Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-OR2) told the Baker City Herald late last month that he’s been lobbying the administration to take a “different approach” on the massive deportation campaign currently underway.
Oddly enough, that lobbying effort sounds a whole lot like what we were promised during the last presidential election.
If you’re among those who are now waking up to the hypocrisy of the federal government’s assault on people exercising their First Amendment rights in defense of immigrants and their community, welcome. We’re glad we can finally agree on a bottom to all of this madness. (And thanks, Therapy Jeff, for reminding us to avoid shaming one another as people adapt and grow.)
While it shouldn’t require the death of a white man carrying a legal firearm on the streets of Minneapolis to sway the national discussion on immigration, it has.
Sadly, events in Minneapolis moved most people past the, “if you’re not doing anything bad, you don’t have anything to worry about,” argument that has plagued rhetoric around the detention of citizens with no criminal record. While it shouldn’t require the death of a white man carrying a legal firearm on the streets of Minneapolis to sway the national discussion on immigration, it has. Today, most are advocating for some type of bare-minimum standards around arresting only immigrants suspected of crimes.
For Bentz we believe his concern for the rule of law have made him a petitioner to the federal government. Unnecessary raids that cause disruptions in parts of his district, such as Hermiston or The Dalles, that is home to workers who grow watermelons and pick onions are certainly a concern. We take some hope in the moves of Bentz and the Main Street Caucus, a group of about 85 Republicans in Congress that advocate for “kitchen-table” issues, and have expressed concerns to the administration about the broad crackdown.
That said, the details are thin. It’s not clear what actual measures the caucus is advocating for, or whether they will have the fortitude, in the face of opposition, to be effective.
On Jan. 21 — weeks after the death of Renee Good — the Main Street Caucus website posted an op-ed from one of its members stating, “Republicans stand with ICE officers who protect our communities, not with the agitators who defend convicted criminals.” The site has not posted any statements regarding immigration since the Jan. 24 death of Alex Pretti. On Feb. 3, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide.
Whether or not you voted for this administration, arresting and deporting actual criminals is what Americans were promised during the president’s most recent campaign, and was a large part of what got him elected. It shouldn’t be newsworthy to hear that a few in his own party are showing a bit of backbone and holding him accountable for deviating from that pledge. That it took so much violence and death to do so is shameful — but at least we are seeing, in reflection at the bottom, some glimmer of humanity.
This article appears in the Source February 5, 2026.
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Bentz is just telling you what you want to hear. He’s Trump’s buddy. Don’t listen to someone who has closed your hospitals and taken much needed relief in Eastern Oregonians. He’s only helping those who have, while hasten the deaths of those who do not. Save Oregon Lives and Save Oregon Forests from the profit takers.
I find it funny that these were the related articles:
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I agree with the above commenter, and honestly while I’m all for recognizing and encouraging when Republicans in Congress assert their Constitutional role, I’ve seen no indication from Rep Bentz that he is willing to do so, or has the courage to stand up to a bully. We didn’t see that in January 2021, and I haven’t seen it now. I think the headline and content of this article does a disservice by presenting it like it does.