Oregon lawmakers voice concern over reports of possible ICE detention facility in Newport, Coast Guard helicopter move

NEWPORT, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Oregon Democrats in Congress and a state lawmaker voiced concern Wednesday about reports that the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement may build a detention facility at the Newport Municipal Airport, as well as the recent relocation of a Coast Guard rescue helicopter that was based there.

Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Val Hoyle, said they are demanding the Trump administration answer questions about reports that the Department of Homeland Security has moved the essential Coast Guard helicopter away from Newport and is planning to build an ICE detention facility in the small Oregon Coast town.

“We urge you to immediately provide the Oregon congressional delegation and state and local officials with a clear explanation of DHS’s actions and intentions in Newport,” the Oregon lawmakers wrote DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “Reassigning Coast Guard assets or establishing ICE facilities in Newport would be deeply misguided and should not move forward without full transparency and consultation with local officials.”

Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici and Hoyle noted in their letter that the Coast Guard station in Newport serves the city and the central Oregon Coast as a critical lifeline for the state’s fishing industry, coastal visitors, and local residents with boat crews and a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew that has long been a proven lifesaver in search and rescue operations.

“Oregonians at the local, state, and federal level have fought long and hard to preserve this crucial part of our coastal safety net, which is why we are so deeply concerned to hear reports that DHS has relocated this helicopter without any notice to our communities,” they wrote Noem. “This move endangers all those at sea, and will certainly undermine search and rescue operations, particularly ahead of crabbing season.”

The Oregon lawmakers also sought answers in their letter to persistent reports and rumors that DHS is working to move Coast Guard assets away from Newport to make room for immigration enforcement operations. It appears ICE is looking to install a detention facility or outpost in Newport, as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to ramp up immigration enforcement.

“ICE has already rounded up law-abiding members of our communities who present no threat to public safety, which has created fear among Oregon families,” they wrote. “Newport residents and small business owners remain extremely concerned about the social and economic consequences that will result from ICE enhancing its presence in the town and the surrounding areas.”

In addition to requesting a briefing from Noem as soon as possible, the Oregon lawmakers also asked Noem to provide written responses by Friday, November 14 to the following questions:

• Did DHS direct, approve, or initiate the reassignment of any Coast Guard assets or personnel from Newport?
• Has DHS or ICE proposed, authorized, or taken any steps toward establishing an ICE detention facility or expanding immigration enforcement activities in Newport?
• Why did DHS not consult with Oregon state and local officials before making or considering these reported changes, and when will such consultation occur?

The entire letter is here.

Meanwhile,  state Rep. David Gomberg (D-Otis) continued to express concern Wednesday about the removal of US Coast Guard air rescue operations from the Newport Municipal Airport.

“Rapid response in a marine emergency is a matter of life and death in our cold waters,” Gomberg said in a news release that continues below:

“Removal of air operations from Newport, with no notice, could not have come at a worse time, with weather turning and the crab season beginning.”

The sole USCG helicopter at Newport, a longstanding asset for search and rescue operations in the community, was quietly relocated to a USCG station in North Bend on October 30.

Mounting evidence continues to indicate the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is planning to replace USCG operations at the Newport Municipal Airport with a large-scale Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.

“Every day, we have been receiving more credible evidence that our federal government is pushing to site an immigration detainment facility in our community,” said Rep. Gomberg. “And disturbingly, we are receiving no communications or confirmation from the federal government as to what they are planning. They are operating in the shadows and trying to fast-track this project with zero transparency or public engagement.”

On November 4, the City of Newport received a letter of intent from a federal contractor, Team Housing Solutions, to lease a 4.3 acre airport property near the USCG station to support operations of an unspecified federal project that they intend to be operational by December 1.

On November 10, a Lincoln County septic company received an inquiry from another federal contractor, Acuity International, regarding costs to pump up to 10,000 gallons of sewage per day, for up to three years, from tanks that would be located at the airport.

In addition, Acuity International listed hiring ads on November 7 for a clinical team to be located at the airport. These positions include a clinical director, nursing staff, a physician, and an infection prevention officer.

Another federal contractor, Asset Protection & Security Services, listed hiring ads the same week for Detention Officers and Transportation Officers to “provide care, custody, and control of those in ICE custody.” Asset Protection & Security Services lists on their site that their firm “offers full-service detention facility management, including security, migrant processing, and administrative support.”

“Reasonable people will have varying opinions on immigration policy,” said Rep. Gomberg. “But we should all agree that the bedrock of good government is transparency. I am calling on DHS and the Trump Administration to explain themselves to our community. If you want to turn our community into the West Coast epicenter of your immigration plans by December 1, then at the very least, you need to explain your plan and communicate with the people who you were sworn to serve. This isn’t how good or honest government operates, and we aren’t going to tolerate it.”