Trump’s audacious plan to build an ICE base in ultra-blue coastal paradise with stunning ocean views
Perched along Oregon’s rugged coastline, Newport is a city of sweeping ocean views and a fiercely liberal community.
But it could soon find itself at the center of Donald Trump’s controversial crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
The White House is reportedly considering building a new US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility that would serve as one of its Pacific Northwest outpost.
Terrified local officials say they have received credible information that the city’s small airport is under consideration.
They say they have gone public with the news because they haven’t been able to confirm the plans with federal officials.
‘Due to [the] credibility of the information received by city officials and the sensitivity of the issue, Newport leadership has chosen to share this information with the community in the interest of public safety and transparency.’
Meanwhile, Newport Mayor Jan Kaplan said he is ‘deeply concerned’ after hearing that his city might soon be home to an ICE facility.
Kaplan told Oregon Live: ‘The well-being, safety, and values of our community are the highest priorities of myself and our City Council. We are committed to uphold fairness and dignity for all who call Newport home.
President Donald Trump is thinking about opening a new U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) facility in Newport, Oregon, according to city officials
Since entering his second term, Trump (pictured Monday) and his administration have been on a nationwide crackdown to detain and deport illegal migrants in the U.S.
‘Any proposal that has the potential to impact those principles deserves transparency, public input, and a thorough review of potential social and economic consequences,’ the mayor added.
The Newport City Council said a public meeting will be held at 6pm Wednesday to discuss the news further.
The Daily Mail contacted the Department of Homeland Security, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and Mayor Kaplan for comment.
ICE already has a facility in Portland, another liberal Oregon city that Trump has already deployed federal officials to.
The agency uses a small area for temporary holding of undocumented immigrants in the city’s South Waterfront.
The facility has been the focus of months-long protests that led Trump to deploy the National Guard in September, but a federal judge recently ruled the president did not meet legal requirements when he did so.
A total of 10 percent of Oregon’s population are immigrants, according to research from the New American Economy. By comparison, the U.S. overall figure is about 14.3 percent foreign‑born.
Newport city officials said they have received credible information that Newport Municipal Airport (pictured) is being considered as a possible location
Newport Mayor Jan Kaplan (pictured) said he is ‘deeply concerned’ after hearing that his city might soon be home to an ICE facility
Presently, if a person is detained by ICE in Oregon they are then transported to the facility in Portland before making their way to Washington’s Tacoma Northwest Detention Center or another location in the U.S.
The facility is Tacoma has a capacity of about 1,600 and holds detainees while their immigration cases take place or before they are deported.
Tensions have been extremely high across the nation amid Trump’s immigration crackdown, and recently Oregon has been at the center of it all.
A local mother, Kylie Forslund, 36, allegedly used her $60,000 Ford Mustang to block federal vehicles during a targeted ICE raid in north Portland last Thursday.
Forslund, who flipped off agents as she did so, was then approached by officers over her alleged actions, leading her to break down.
‘Please, give me a warning. I have kids,’ she begged the agent who pulled her over. ‘I’m just a mom. I am just a mom.’
Meanwhile, an Oregon teenager was seen on camera breaking down over concerns for his parents who are living in the United States legally.
Manny Chavez, 16, was one of dozens of residents who spoke up at a Hillsboro City Council meeting last Tuesday decrying ICE raids in the Portland suburb, per KGW.
Armed federal officers are seen at an anti-ICE protest at the facility in Portland, Oregon on October 25
‘I just want to tell you guys that I’m scared for my parents to walk out there, to walk out their house because I might not be able to say goodbye to them if they go to work. I might not ever be able to say “bye” or see them again,’ he began, his voice breaking as he spoke.
‘I’m scared because of it, because they fought so hard to come here and choose a life for their kids,’ Chavez continued, his voice breaking as he spoke.
‘I’m scared that everyone that I love is not, I’m not going to be able to see them again, because even though they’re US citizens, they don’t care about us.
‘They treat us like dogs, they treat us like animals,’ he stated, before sharing that he was scared he would one day be held at school by masked ICE agents as his parents were detained.
