With Entomology 2025 approaching soon in Portland, Oregon, ESA and Travel Portland are dedicated to providing a safe, hospitable, and productive environment for all attendees.
For attendees concerned about news of National Guard troops being deployed in Portland, it is important to know that there is a vast difference between rhetoric from the federal government and reality in Portland.
Local community leaders in Portland have confirmed that the president's recent statements about the city are inaccurate. Protests at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland remain small, and the facility is located far from tourism attractions, the convention center, and downtown infrastructure. Claims of unrest throughout the city are simply untrue.
Portland is a thriving city. It was a great host for ESA's Annual Meeting in 2014, and we are confident it will be again in 2025. Travel Portland and Portland Chamber of Commerce have been and continue to be dedicated, gracious partners to ESA, and they are eager to welcome the entomology community to the city so they can explore all that it has to offer.
We encourage Entomology 2025 registrants to also consider:
- The proposed troop deployment and ICE facility are far from the Oregon Convention Center and downtown hotels. It would take roughly an hour's walk to get from one to the other. We are encouraging members to focus on their science, not political theater, and avoid that area of town entirely. This shouldn't be hard, because there is nothing in that neighborhood that our attendees should need.
- Portland law enforcement officials have emphasized that protests near the ICE facility are fully within local authorities' capacity to manage, and the Oregon attorney general has filed a lawsuit to prevent the deployment of National Guard troops.
- Portland is also a sanctuary city. While that phrase is often misunderstood, it means that city officials prioritize the safety and well-being of residents and visitors by limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
- ESA's meetings team is headed to Portland in early October for a previously scheduled site-visit, and they plan to survey the downtown area. They also plan to visit the ICE facility locale to better understand the extent of protests and law enforcement presence.
- As seen with the recent troop deployment in Washington, DC, after some initial protests and negative reactions, most residents are not "taking the bait" and are simply ignoring the troops. Incidents of conflict are isolated. Leaders in Portland are encouraging a similar response.
- At all ESA events, we encourage attendees to be "city aware" when traveling. That includes standard precautions for keeping any traveler safe in an unfamiliar environment, such as walking in groups, removing name badges when leaving meeting facilities, and remaining aware of your surroundings. We will continue to offer the same guidance this year.
- Since January, the federal government has taken many actions that actively harm science in the U.S. While this proposed troop deployment is not targeted at science, it would have a similar harmful effect for insect science if the ESA Annual Meeting were negatively impacted. We remain committed to hosting a safe and successful meeting to facilitate the knowledge sharing, networking, and collaboration that are critical to moving our science forward.
The following is a direct quote from one of our local Portland partners who have been helping ESA to plan the meeting, in response to the latest news out of the White House: "We are committed to making sure your meeting is successful and that your attendees feel welcomed and supported in our city."
In short, we're confident that Portland remains an attractive destination for the entomology community to showcase insect science.
We will continue to monitor developments and will issue additional guidance if needed. For more updates, see Entomology 2025 Hotels and Travel. For any attendees with questions or concerns, please contact the ESA meetings team at meet@entsoc.org.
We look forward to seeing you at Entomology 2025!