PORTLAND, Oregon — As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the Oval Office, there is growing concern among immigrant communities.
"I will launch the largest deportation program in American history to get the criminals out," said Trump during a campaign event in October.
In response, some churches are reacting to Trump's promise of mass deportation by offering sanctuary to undocumented immigrants, should they need it.
"We've all been grieving the last two days," said Reverend Mark Knutson of Augustana Lutheran Church in Northeast Portland. "People I've talked to in this congregation and in the community are scared, frightened to think of the knock (on their door) at midnight."
Augustana Lutheran Church has long offered sanctuary for undocumented immigrants facing deportation.
"Right now, people know they can come," Knutson said. "Just today, we had some people who just came to be because they knew they were safe."
Outside the church's walls, Oregon offers its own sanctuary state protections. Immigration law is administered by federal agencies, but state laws drive immigration enforcement, according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. The nonprofit created a map showing how each state fairs regarding pro-immigrant laws. Only Oregon and Illinois have comprehensive state laws restricting transfers of people to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"We're blessed to be in Oregon. We really are," Knutson said.
In a post-election statement, Oregon's outgoing attorney general, Ellen Rosenblum, said she's confident the new AG will continue to protect immigrant communities. Back in 2017, Trump signed an executive order declaring sanctuary cities Portland and Seattle ineligible for receiving federal grants. However, a federal judge ruled the order unconstitutional.
On Thursday, Portland Mayor-elect Keith Wilson leaned into the city's sanctuary city status.
"We are rich in our diversity," Wilson said. "To those immigrants and refugees who have only just arrived, every neighborhood matters, every community matters, every person matters."
On Election Day, Trump expressed resolve over his deportation mission.
"We're going to fix our borders," Trump told supporters. "We're going to fix everything about our country."
It's unclear how Trump would do that, but on Thursday, he told NBC News, "We have no choice. When people have killed and murdered ... they're not staying here. There is no price tag."
For now, Knutson said he and other sanctuary churches remain focused on preparing for how they can keep migrant families together.
"We will be ready," Knutson said. "If we have to have a thousand people living (in the church), we will do that."