PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland, Oregon, said Wednesday it will issue a land use violation notice to the city’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building, accusing the facility of detaining people beyond the limits of what its land use approval allows.
The building’s conditional land use approval, in place since 2011, does not permit people to be held overnight or for over 12 hours. The city alleges that this provision was violated 25 times over a 10-month period from last October to this July.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement made clear detention limitation commitments to our community, and we believe they broke those policies more than two dozen times,” Portland Mayor Keith Wilson stated in a news release. “I am proud of our team for conducting a thorough, thoughtful investigation, and referring the matter to the next steps in the land use violation process.”
The city plans to issue the notice on Thursday. ICE did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Recently, the facility has been the focus of nightly protests, which peaked in June. Immigration and legal advocates often gather outside during the day to assist individuals arriving at the building, while nighttime protests typically involve demonstrators dressed in black and wearing helmets or masks.
While disruptive to nearby residents, these protests are less intense than the racial justice protests that swept through the city in 2020. Nonetheless, they have drawn attention from President Donald Trump, who has considered sending in federal troops in response to civil disturbances in various cities.
Most violent crime around the nation has actually declined in recent years, including in Portland, where a recent report indicated a 51% decrease in homicides from January through June compared to the same period in 2024.
Portland's sanctuary policy prohibits city employees, including police, from enforcing federal immigration laws, aligned with Oregon's sanctuary law that restricts participation in immigration enforcement without a warrant.
The city's permitting bureau began investigating the ICE building in late July after receiving formal complaints. It reviewed data regarding detention violations from the Deportation Data Project under public records requests.
Landowners have 30 days after receiving a notice of violation to rectify the issue. Severe violations may lead to fines or further actions, including a reconsideration hearing before the city's council.
The building’s conditional land use approval, in place since 2011, does not permit people to be held overnight or for over 12 hours. The city alleges that this provision was violated 25 times over a 10-month period from last October to this July.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement made clear detention limitation commitments to our community, and we believe they broke those policies more than two dozen times,” Portland Mayor Keith Wilson stated in a news release. “I am proud of our team for conducting a thorough, thoughtful investigation, and referring the matter to the next steps in the land use violation process.”
The city plans to issue the notice on Thursday. ICE did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Recently, the facility has been the focus of nightly protests, which peaked in June. Immigration and legal advocates often gather outside during the day to assist individuals arriving at the building, while nighttime protests typically involve demonstrators dressed in black and wearing helmets or masks.
While disruptive to nearby residents, these protests are less intense than the racial justice protests that swept through the city in 2020. Nonetheless, they have drawn attention from President Donald Trump, who has considered sending in federal troops in response to civil disturbances in various cities.
Most violent crime around the nation has actually declined in recent years, including in Portland, where a recent report indicated a 51% decrease in homicides from January through June compared to the same period in 2024.
Portland's sanctuary policy prohibits city employees, including police, from enforcing federal immigration laws, aligned with Oregon's sanctuary law that restricts participation in immigration enforcement without a warrant.
The city's permitting bureau began investigating the ICE building in late July after receiving formal complaints. It reviewed data regarding detention violations from the Deportation Data Project under public records requests.
Landowners have 30 days after receiving a notice of violation to rectify the issue. Severe violations may lead to fines or further actions, including a reconsideration hearing before the city's council.
