The community of Newport, on the central Oregon Coast, worked hard late last year in pushing back against the federal government’s attempts to target Newport for an immigration detention facility.
Strong local protests from the residents and allies of Newport, and litigation from the Newport Fishermen’s Wives, Lincoln County and the state of Oregon, succeeded in returning the Coast Guard helicopter the Department of Homeland Security had removed.
This was amid attempts by a Texas company to lease land adjacent to the Coast Guard’s property at the Newport airport. Job postings for detention officers and medical staff to be based in Newport, inquiries about septic, water disposal services, caterers and continued inquiries about land suggest DHS was intent on building a detention facility…