Portland weighs taking over lease at ICE facility

The city of Portland is considering taking over the local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building, an epicenter of protests and national attention in recent weeks.

In a statement Wednesday, Mayor Keith Wilson wrote that he “expressed openness” to the Trump administration about either taking over the lease or purchasing the South Waterfront facility. The idea was floated first by Corey Lewandowski, a close Trump associate, Wilson wrote.

It wasn’t immediately clear what such a move would mean for the current tenants: ICE and other federal law enforcement, who have frequently clashed with protesters since June.

Cody Bowman, a city spokesperson, said the city has no intention of being ICE’s landlords.

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“If a building transition occurs, the intent would be to transition ICE out, not to house or retain ICE as a tenant,” Bowman said.

The move follows a Tuesday visit by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who toured the facility with conservative streamers and media outlets.

During the tour, Noem spoke with federal law enforcement about protests that have regularly occurred since June. Later, she told Fox News she was “extremely disappointed” by a meeting she had with Wilson. She described the protests outside the ICE facility as a threat to safety across Portland, despite their small footprint.

According to Wilson, Noem asked the city to create “free speech zones” for protests. Noem also told conservative media on Tuesday night that she had asked for a buffer around the building.

The city has frequently wrestled with the building’s status. Elected city councilors have repeatedly debated whether they could — or should — revoke ICE’s permit. Besides being a target of demonstrations, immigrants need reliable access to the building for their legal proceedings.

Last month, city officials notified the building’s owner that ICE may be violating its permit with the city. The city wrote that ICE has repeatedly run afoul of clauses in its permit that limit how many detainees can be there at once and how long they can be held in custody.

The U.S. General Services Administration has leased space in the building since 2011, running a processing center where immigrants are interviewed and sometimes detained. It has been a flashpoint over legal immigration and deportation policies, including a weekslong protest in 2018.

Wilson reportedly countered Noem’s requests by demanding the officers working there use fewer tear gas, pepper balls and other munitions against demonstrators. He also called for federal law enforcement to equip body-worn cameras and show identification, he wrote.

“The actions of certain federal officers continue to be deeply disturbing to our community,” Wilson said, “and the lack of accountability and transparency for what appears to be unconstitutional behavior against individuals expressing their rights will only serve to deepen the divide between this facility and our community.”

Trump had previously authorized federal law enforcement to use “full force” against Portland protesters. Wilson wrote that he pressed Noem to explain what that meant.

Portland appeared Tuesday night to be open to at least some of the federal government’s requests. Portland Police Bureau officers maintained roadblocks around the building throughout the night and into Wednesday, akin Noem’s requested buffer.

Officers also removed supplies and other items used by protesters who were stationed beyond the roadblocks Wednesday morning. At least three trucks used by the city’s contractor, Rapid Response Bio-Clean, hauled the items away.

Neither a Portland Police Bureau spokesperson nor a city spokesperson could answer OPB questions of whether the clean-up was connected to Noem’s visit.

The property is held for 30 days, a city spokesperson said. It was the eighth time the city has cleaned the area since June, but the first time the Portland Police Bureau ordered an emergency clean-up, which doesn’t require a 72-hour notice under state law.

The seeming effort to find a solution with DHS comes as federal law enforcement has ratcheted up their tactics in recent weeks. The Trump administration has frequently attempted to portray Portland as “war ravaged” and in need of military personnel on the ground to maintain order despite the limited scope of the demonstrations there.

On Saturday, OPB reporters documented a methodical clear-out of protesters combined with volleys of pepper balls and tear gas that lacked clear provocation.

Speaking Wednesday at a White House roundtable, Noem once again told the president that the city she observed from the ICE facility, where a person in a chicken suit and a handful of other people stood behind police barricades watching her on the building rooftop, needed intervention.

“I was in Portland yesterday and had the chance to visit with the governor of Oregon and the mayor there in town,” Noem said. “They are absolutely covering up the terrorism that is hitting their streets.”