Immigration arrests are rising again across Oregon, but without the highly visible raids, videos and public confrontations that marked last fall's enforcement surge.

Why it matters: The quieter tactics local advocates say federal agents are using — targeting residents of rural communities or people as they commute to work — are renewing fear for families, leading some to avoid going to medical appointments or the grocery store.

Driving the news: The Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC) documented 42 arrests in the state during the first half of July, per the Oregonian.

• That's on pace to surpass the 64 arrests reported in June.
• Reports of arrests dipped following the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota in January, but they began picking up later in the spring.
• PIRC reported 30 arrests in April and 47 in May, though the figures are likely an undercount because detentions are largely self-reported to the coalition's hotline.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Axios' request for information on activity and arrest rates.

Flashback: PIRC's hotline received more than 700 calls in October last year, many of them reporting ICE activity or sightings.

• Videos on social media and news reports documented heated public arrests across the Portland metro area, including encounters in which witnesses and detainees alleged agents used excessive force.

What they're saying: Mayor Wilson, all 12 city council members and city administrator Raymond Lee denounced the "silent surge" of immigration enforcement activity this week.

• "While federal immigration is beyond the City's authority, our commitment to our immigrant communities is not," they wrote in a statement, pledging to strengthen sanctuary protocols and to host forums connecting residents with resources and constitutional rights education.

Meanwhile, Oregon U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined other Democratic lawmakers in Congress calling for more accountability for ICE agents — including the use of body cams — after a string of deadly encounters linked to immigration enforcement earlier this month.

The bottom line: Advocates with PIRC and the Latino Network told the Oregonian they will continue offering Know Your Rights education and helping families prepare for the possibility that a parent or loved one is detained.

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A busy, bumpy half-mile stretch of Southeast Division Street is set to be repaved starting next week, bringing more than a month of lane restrictions and full closures.

State of play: The $4.7 million project — paid for using the city's general fund — will replace cracked, wavy pavement between Southeast Cesar Chavez Boulevard and 50th Avenue.

• Bureau of Transportation crews will work in one- to three-block sections and will generally restrict vehicles one direction at a time, the agency said.
• Division will be fully closed from Southeast Cesar Chavez Boulevard to 41st Avenue from Aug. 1-3, and from 48th to 50th on Aug. 3.

Zoom in: PBOT will rebuild the intersection at Division and 50th — one of the corridor's busiest — and plans to remove the historic trolley tracks that have undermined the pavement.

• The work will include upgraded ADA curb ramps.
• Businesses will remain open during construction.

Consider taking Southeast Powell or Southeast Hawthorne as alternate routes.

• PBOT expects limited impact on the FX-2 Division bus route, but there will be some bus stop changes and delays.

Between the lines: Axios Portland readers voted Southeast Division as one of the worst roads — plagued with persistent potholes, wheel ruts and crumbling pavement — in our poll this year.

The bottom line: Expect detours and delays starting Tuesday, but a smoother ride by fall.

🌮 Robo Taco, the Central Eastside late-night Mexican eatery, will close Sunday after 15 years. (KGW)

💛 The longtime Willamette Heights home of the late author Ursula K. Le Guin — who penned the popular Earthsea fantasy series — was added to the National Register of Historic Places. (KPTV)

🍃 A new proposal from City Councilor Candace Avalos would require commercial building owners to report and reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2050. (Portland Business Journal)

🏨 RiverPlace Hotel, located south of the Hawthorne Bridge on the Willamette, sold to Amaterra Hospitality Group for $11 million — 83% less than its previous purchase price in 2015. (The Oregonian)

🟢 Brett Smith, a Pacific Green candidate for governor, is currently the only third-party contender in the race and hopes to win support from both progressive and conservative voters. (OPB)

Prudes, shield your eyes: City streets are going to be full of butts this weekend.

The big picture: The PDX World Naked Bike Ride — one of two annual bike rides in the buff — gets underway tomorrow evening.

Zoom in: The exact route remains a mystery, but riders will gather at Wilshire Park near Northeast 33rd Avenue and Skidmore Street at 6:30pm, with the route and endpoint to be revealed once the ride gets underway.

• It's billed as a protest against fossil fuel dependency, and for body positivity as well as cyclist safety.

Yes, butt: This isn't the only scantily clad cycling event in Portland.

• Another ride, the World Naked Bike Ride Portland, has been baring it all since 2024 and has its own ride planned for Aug. 8.
• Neither of those is to be confused with last year's "emergency" naked bike ride, staged as a protest of the Trump administration's efforts to deploy National Guard troops in Portland.

Nudity is not a requirement, with organizers encouraging an "as bare as you dare" dress code, which includes body paint, bathing suits and superhero capes.