Think Out Loud

What are the dangers of working for ICE? Report examines the data

The leading cause of death for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers is COVID-19 followed by cancer linked to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center,according to a Mother Jones report [https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/10/ice-deaths-assaults-administration-masks-covid19-shooting-dhs-trump/]. ICE data reviewed by the outlet showed that deaths and assaults at the agency are not outsized compared to other law enforcement, despite the Trump administration’s claims that their work [https://www.npr.org/2025/10/10/nx-s1-5565146/white-house-claims-more-than-1-000-rise-in-assaults-on-ice-agents-data-says-otherwise] is exceptionally dangerous. Noah Lanard is a reporter for Mother Jones and covered the story. He joins us with details of what he found in the data.

Downtown Portland is getting more foot traffic, but not yet back to pre-pandemic levels

New data [https://downtownportland.org/2025-summer-update-downtown-foot-traffic-report/] from Downtown Clean & Safe shows a growing number of pedestrians visiting Portland’s downtown. Compared to last year, the total number of visitors from January to August was up by 5.6%, making it the strongest year for downtown since the pandemic. But those numbers still have not caught up to what they were pre-lockdowns -- and are still just half of what they were in 2019. We’ll hear from various community leaders to hear how they view downtown. Todd Zarnitz is the president of the Northwest District Association. Sarah Shaoul is the founder and CEO of Bricks Need Mortar. And Ryan Hashagen is the founder of Icicle Tricycles, director of the Steel Bridge Skatepark Coalition and an adjunct professor at PSU. And we get thoughts from community members, visitors and business owners we gathered on a recent visit to downtown.

Federal funding cuts close cold case investigation in La Grande

In 1983, the body of 21-year-old bartender Dana DuMars was found in Candy Cane Park in La Grande, Oregon. The case was never solved, though for years children grew up with scary stories about the park. An investigator for the district attorney’s office spent years looking into the case and finally narrowed in on potential suspects. But then, cuts from the federal Department of Justice to local law enforcement ended the investigation. Emma Goldberg wrote about this story for the New York Times and joins us to talk about it.

Portland Police Dialogue Liaison Officers help deescalate ICE protests

Protests [https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/25/portland-ice-facility-rain-permit/] at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in South Portland have been largely peaceful, despite President Trump’s attempts [https://www.opb.org/article/2025/11/02/national-guard-block-again-portland-oregon/] to send National Guard troops to the site [https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/portland-prepares-for-invasion]. Local law enforcement has successfully managed conflicts among protesters and counter-protesters and made arrests for those who commit property or other crimes.   In September, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said on “Think Out Loud [https://www.opb.org/article/2025/09/30/portland-police-chief-national-guard-portland/]” that the bureau’s approach to these protests is consciously different from the one it took in 2020. He cited the use of Dialogue Liaison Officers [https://www.portland.gov/police/news/2025/10/28/talking-beat-dialogue-policing-changing-public-order-management-portland] who are “embedded” early on. “These are officers that are clearly identifiable with white shirts,” he said. “They’ve had additional training, and they go early on and try to establish communication and understanding.”   We learn more about this approach from Sergeant Daniel DiMatteo and Officer Jessica Ruch. They are among the approximately 10 Dialogue Liaison Officers the bureau deploys to protests.

Oregon Solicitor General argued tariffs case before the US Supreme Court

Yesterday, Benjamin Gutman made his first appearance on the biggest stage possible. In his role as solicitor general of Oregon, Gutman argued in front of the nine justices of the Supreme Court on behalf of a coalition of a dozen states that sued over the president’s signature tariff trade strategy. The states argued the U.S. Congress, not the president, has the power to impose and collect taxes under the U.S. Constitution. Gutman joins us to talk about the experience.