[ZH] Portland, Oregon's rapid economic decline is a well documented phenomenon related directly to Democrat leadership and progressive policy initiatives. The city is perhaps one of the most far-left governments in the entire US and it's a notorious breeding ground for leftist activist politicians. Portland is considered a "sanctuary city" and Oregon is a sanctuary state. Political opposition to illegal immigrant deportation efforts is extensive. This ideological stand, however, has only exacerbated the region's economic problems. One unfortunate consequence of the blue city breakdown is the fast rising homeless population and a large percentage of this population, according to estimates, is made up of refugees and asylum seekers looking for protection from deportation.
Sanctuary cities don't track illegal migrant populations which means identifying the consequences of a migrant influx is difficult. One danger associated with uncontrolled immigration is the spread of third world diseases that don't normally pose a serious threat in the US otherwise.Over the past several years, Portland has dealt with multiple outbreaks of two types of Shigella bacteria, also known as Dysentery, as well as norovirus outbreaks with the same symptoms. In 2024-2025 the metro area is witnessing the largest spread of Shigella so far.
Health officials warn that the bacterial version of the disease is proving resistant to several antibiotics and they cite two primary causes for the outbreak: The homeless population and "oral contact" involving fecal matter.
Of the most recent cluster of cases, the county said 56% were among people experiencing homelessness and 55% of the cases reported methamphetamine or opiate usage. They have also also identified a spread among housed and unhoused social groups who use drugs.
Oregon is 27th in the nation for population size, but has the 8th largest population of homeless people. Oregon officials warn that a large percentage of the homeless are made up of illegal migrants. In 2022, Portland was in the midst of a migrant housing crisis which they have still not solved. When illegals are housed by the city in specific neighborhoods it is commonly done without the knowledge of the community.