Anticipating early 2026 opening, Oregon seeks to block potential Newport ICE facility

Suspecting the federal government plans to open a large-scale Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Newport’s airport early next year, the state of Oregon asked a federal judge to block construction.

Lawyers for the state sought an injunction from U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken in an amended complaint filed last week as part of an ongoing lawsuit challenging the U.S. Coast Guard’s removal of a rescue helicopter from its Newport Municipal Airport facility in late October. They argued that the federal government is skirting federal environmental and coastal land use regulations which would require more notice for Oregon leaders should an ICE facility be constructed in the area.

“Defendants have engaged in these efforts behind closed doors, with no transparency or public process, ignoring direct requests for information from local officials and members of Congress,” the new filing reads. “As a result, the state has been forced to piece together defendants’ plans for the ICE detention facility based on public reporting, inquiries to and information from federal contractors, the second-hand account of a U.S. Coast Guard witness, and related evidence.”

Much of the evidence in Attorney General Dan Rayfield’s updated lawsuit has been previously reported. Jenny Hansson, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Justice, referred to the amended complaint in response to a request for additional information or evidence.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/12/22/repub/anticipating-early-2026-opening-oregon-seeks-to-block-potential-newport-ice-facility/