Last week, city officials in Newport told the community they had reason to believe the federal government hoped to site an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility at the Newport airport.
The future of that facility is now in question after the defense contractor behind it withdrew a letter of intent. While Oregon Coast communities farther north didn’t receive inquiries like the one in Newport, Astoria city leaders say they want to avoid a similar situation.
A few days before news broke of the possible ICE facility, North Coast communities were experiencing their first significant encounters with ICE agents under the Trump administration’s more aggressive deportation directives.
At least six people were detained in Seaside, pulled over on their way to work in the morning by ICE agents. Rumors and possible sightings of ICE vehicles in other Clatsop County cities continued for days after.
The experience rattled immigrant communities and advocates, but also local leaders and law enforcement.
At an Astoria City Council meeting on Monday, City Councilor Andrea Mazzarella advocated for a resolution that would emphasize the council’s commitment to upholding the U.S. Constitution and to ensuring the safety of all the city’s residents. But she also wanted to include something more tangible: like pursuing possible land use restrictions to ensure detention centers would not be allowed here.
Ideally, Mazzarella said, such land restrictions would also be taken up by neighboring cities and Clatsop County government.
“I’m just trying to look ahead at what could happen and how we can protect the people that are here in the best possible way and: What can we do as a city?” Mazzarella said.
Fellow City Councilors Andy Davis and Elisabeth Adams and Mayor Sean Fitzpatrick said they supported the overall idea of the resolution.
The possible impact of a detention facility in Newport is huge, Adams agreed.
“I think we need to look at what we can do to make the public statement — and beyond the public statement…what we can do to protect our community through our roles as elected officials,” she said.
Acting City Manager Jonah Dart McLean said he would work with the relevant department heads and return with a draft resolution for the City Council to consider at a future meeting.