By Representative David Gomberg, House District 10
4/6/26
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
Last week I provided a long and detailed review of the recent legislative session. I promised upcoming weekly reports would be shorter and address other subjects.
This week I want to provide an update on the current ICE situation in Newport and across Oregon.
I realize that there are strong and differing opinions across our district on this difficult subject.
Of interest: federal officials have cited more than 2,100 people arrested in the state since President Donald Trump took office. That compares to about 2,250 immigration arrests in the Pacific Northwest in 2011 during the Obama administration’s focus on deporting immigrants.
Relatively few of those arrests have occurred in Lincoln or Benton Counties with more in Lane.
Plans for a detention facility here appear to be on hold. Read on.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has no current plans to build new detention facilities or expand existing ICE locations in the state of Oregon, a top ICE official said, addressing months of speculation that a new facility could be coming to the Oregon Coast.
The assurance came in a letter last week from Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons. Lyons didn’t explicitly rule out the possibility for a detention facility in the future, but wrote that “ICE is not currently planning to expand current detention facilities or open any new long or short-term detention facilities in Oregon.”
The potential for a new ICE facility arose last fall amid concerns that federal immigration authorities were scouting Newport for a long-term detention facility at the city’s U.S. Coast Guard municipal airport site. The state of Oregon asked a federal judge in December to halt any potential construction of an immigration detention facility on the Central Coast. The lawsuit generated a statement from an ICE official in January confirming that the agency was interested in a temporary holding and processing center in the city, but that it had no plans for construction or opening until at least May 2026.
This latest news is encouraging to those of us who believe Lincoln County is no place for a detention and deportation center. And I take the letter as a true reflection of the current Department of Homeland Security (DHS) position—at least until that position changes. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley said in a statement that “again and again, ICE has been caught lying to the American people, so we should be skeptical of anything they tell us.” In a similar statement, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said he was gratified with the new development but would be “watchdogging it in all the days ahead to make sure it stays a fact throughout Oregon.”
Read more in the Oregon Capital Chronical.
| From left to right, Oregon Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, Taunette Dixon of the Newport Fishermen’s Wives, and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden take questions from reporters at the Newport Municipal Airport. (Photo by Shaanth Nanguneri/Oregon Capital Chronicle) |
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| Speaking at a No Kings protest this past week, I shared that clearly there had been plans to build that center here earlier.
Why Newport? Because the small airport there has an unusually long runway. Because the airport is relatively isolated. Because the airport is close to the juncture of Highway 20 and 101 which provides good access to the Coast and the Valley. And most importantly, because DHS already had facilities there at the Coast Guard Air Station.
So when the Coast Guard quietly disappeared and we began asking questions, the evidence began to mount of what the plans actually were. And local people began to react.
Eight hundred of you showed up at the Newport City Hall to protest. Local groups and local government filed lawsuits. The Oregon Attorney General filed lawsuits. And we even garnered national attention on the Rachel Maddow Show.
But more importantly, when DHS reached out to local business for the resources they needed for this planned center, those businesses said no. Deliver drinking water every day? No. Haul away thousands of gallons of sewage every day? No. Deliver food? No. Rent hotel rooms? No.
It isn’t like those businesses didn’t need the money. But they didn’t need it that badly. And so they said no. And thus, the local reaction to this proposed facility is the reason we do not have one here today. |
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| In Oregon, the data shows 1,655 immigration arrests overall last year—more than the three previous years combined.
The new figures indicate that the majority of the people arrested last year in Oregon, 1,265, had no pending criminal charges or convictions.
Last year, immigration arrests in Oregon remained relatively out of the public eye until June, when federal officers detained a handful of asylum seekers outside or near Portland Immigration Court and picked up vineyard and constructions workers on their way to work.
Enforcement continued through the summer before surging in fall, with agents arresting people on their way to work, near schools, inside and outside businesses, and on the street.
Masked agents smashed people’s car windows to drag them out of their vehicles while surrounding others at gunpoint. They have arrested the wrong people and swept up some U.S. citizens.
This information all came from a March 12th report on OregonLive. |
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| I have said repeatedly that anyone guilty of a criminal offense should be held accountable—regardless of immigration status. (Generally, immigration offenses are not criminal offenses.) I have also said that protestors who damage property or injure others should also be held accountable.
That said, we continue to face unprecedented challenges to our most vulnerable communities. Below, you’ll find resources and recommendations for legal aide and how to report injustice.
It is critical for Oregonians to receive the support they need during this time. For a list of resources, see below:
Understanding Your Rights
Legal Representation/Resources
Reporting Injustice
As a sanctuary state, Oregon does not coordinate with ICE or enforce immigration law. Our county and city police are committed to serving and protecting everyone. |
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| For those of you participating in Easter, Passover, Ramadan (earlier in March) or other religious observances, I wish you a peaceful, contemplative and rewarding experience filled with family, fellowship, and faith.
Although the hail scattered across my back deck late last week might suggest otherwise, Spring and Spring Break are upon us. Please make the most of all that our beautiful and diverse district has to offer. Be kind to our visitors! And be kind to yourselves. Do good things!
I’ll be back next week with news I trust you can use. |
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| Gomberg for State Rep, PAC ID 15348 | PO Box 113 | Neotsu, OR 97364 US |
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