Seaside seeks answers from Sen. Wyden

Published 4:14 pm Monday, January 26, 2026

Congressman catches Clatsop County up on ICE, homelessness and mental health 

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore. is holding town halls in all of Oregon’s counties and on Friday he held his second to last one at Seaside High School before returning to Washington, D.C. on Sunday. The event was attended by over a hundred people, including Seaside High School students and community members, who were spread out in the high school gym in folding chairs and on bleachers.

The event drew a number of far-ranging questions: what can citizens do to combat Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where is funding for our mental health crises, what can be done about rising homelessness in Oregon and more.

On Tuesday, Jan. 12 President Donald Trump’s administration attempted to cut  nearly  $2 billion in funding and programs for mental health, Wyden said in his opening remarks. But that attempt was cut short when Wyden stopped it.

“I … practically closed the place down on Tuesday night — and I thought we had a chance,” Wyden said. “And I woke up on Wednesday morning and as a result of a tremendous full court press, that so many citizens made to keep that money, $2 billion was there Wednesday morning for mental health.” 

According to Mental Health America’s state youth ranking, Oregon is 49th out of 51, including the District of Columbia, with oregon reporting higher rates of mental illness and lower rates of access to care. 

Seaside resident Gabriel Jones, a Seaside High School student, brought up concerns about the rising mental health status in Oregon and what actions are being maintained to improve mental health and services. 

“I felt Oregon has not done enough in what we usually do, which is come up with a good plan and show the rest of the country,” Wyden said. “We’ve been too far down towards the bottom — and so I focus on trying to get some federal government to protect those resources.” 

Another raised a question about The American Israel Public Affairs Committee  sending money to Israel. Wyden said that before leaving Washington, D.C., he and his team put together a major piece of legislation to send humanitarian aid to Gaza and put together the first sanctions for violating humanitarian aid towards Israel. 

“I believe what’s going on in Gaza is horrifying,” Wyden said. “And we need to stop it from happening again.’ 

A Seaside High School student said that their community has been affected by ICE. What can they do while they feel scard and attacked?  “We’ve got to bring back the rule of law,” Wyden said. 

Wyden said ICE agents are now allowed to issue warrants — that does not align with the constitution, he said.

“They can basically break down somebody’s door,” said Wyden. He added he wants to put an end to the practice — and added others he is opposed to. “I want to stop racial profiling and stop the invasion of privacy.” 

Wyden talked about Renee Good, a U.S. citizen who was fatally shot in the head by ICE in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. He spoke about the importance of Minnesota law prevailing, not federal law. 

“That’s the kind of stuff we need today,” said Wyden, “to protect the people against the lawlessness of ICE.” 

In a one-on-one interview with The Astorian after the town hall, Wyden said when people see something that’s not right in Clatsop County, they need to reach out to their legislators quickly. “Because sometimes (when) people see something wrong, they’re angry,” he said, “and they just sit aside.” 

Oregon’s rising case of homelessness in the state and in the county was a pressing issue during the town hall and Wyden said the state has got to get transportation figured out in order to free up some additional resources for housing.

“Housing is urgent everywhere I go,” he said. “People need shelter in Oregon; I see it everywhere.” 

When Wyden returns to Washington, D.C., he said he is determined to end ICE’s lawless practices that he heard from residents of Seaside “This is America; we don’t go battering people’s door down for law abiding people.” 

Wyden said that Trump said something different when he first deployed ICE. 

“He promised to go after violent criminals and he’s going after elderly people who might have been here for years and just didn’t keep a Visa document up to date.” 

In a room filled with questions regarding foreign tensions, continued ICE activity in Oregon and rising cases of mental illness, Wyden tried to quell the palpable anxiousness and worry in the room. He said people will begin to feel more confident in the U.S.

“But it will not happen overnight,” Wyden said. “It isn’t gonna happen in 20 minutes — and it’s gonna be hard work. But we can come back from this, absolutely.”