Salinas, Merkley, Hoyle-Led Letter Forces ICE to Confirm: No Plans to Expand or Build ICE Detention Facilities in Oregon

Washington, D.C. – Today, in response to an inquiry led by U.S. Congresswomen Andrea Salinas (OR-06) and Val Hoyle (OR-04) and Senator Jeff Merkley and signed by Senator Wyden and U.S. Congresswomen Bonamici, Dexter, and Bynum, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons confirmed that, “ICE is not currently planning to expand current detention facilities or open any new long or short-term detention facilities in Oregon.”

“Oregonians never wanted an ICE detention facility in our state, especially as ICE and DHS have repeatedly abused their power and terrorized our communities,” saidSalinas. “I am glad that the Administration confirmed they currently have no plans to build or expand any ICE detention facility in Oregon. I have consistently demanded full transparency and accountability from ICE and the Trump Administration for their misconduct, and I will keep using every avenue available to call out ICE’s overreach and keep our communities safe.”

“Again and again, ICE has been caught lying to the American people, so we should be skeptical of anything they tell us,” said Merkley. “Trump is hellbent on deploying his secret police across Oregon, and we won’t stand for it. I say HELL NO to any plans to expand ICE facilities or operations in Oregon, whether it’s office space, detention centers, or anything else the Trump Administration cooks up.”

“The President has taken us into war, gas and grocery prices are skyrocketing and people can’t afford health care,” said Rep. Val Hoyle. “We need leadership that actually puts the needs of Americans first instead of spending taxpayer dollars to militarize our streets. We don’t need more money wasted on having a larger ICE presence here to harass, intimidate and detain hardworking Oregonians based on the color of their skin. Thanks, but no thanks.”

On February 12, 2026, Congresswoman Salinas and Senator Merkley led their democratic Oregon delegation colleagues and ten additional House Members in a letter opposing any plans to open or expand ICE detention facilities in Oregon, including a potential facility in Newport. They also demanded details about the safety and standards of “soft-sided” facilities. 

On March 26, 2026, Acting Director Lyons responded to confirm that ICE currently does not have plans to build or expand any ICE facility in Oregon. The response indicates that ICE does not plan to move forward with a soft-sided detention facility in Newport, as had previously been reported. The response also provided details about the conditions of their soft-sided facilities. It claims that detainees are provided with three nutritious meals a day, that facilities are subject to inspections and audits conducted by the DHS Office of Inspector General, and that detainees are provided with sufficient clean clothing. These claims are contrary to many reports from detainees inside ICE facilities, and the Members will continue pushing for the truth about conditions in ICE facilities.

“Oregonians do not want or need ICE in our state,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “ICE has confirmed that they do not plan to open any additional detention facilities in Oregon, and we will hold them to that while we work to make our communities safer by getting masked, armed ICE agents off our streets.”

“ICE should be defunded and dismantled—and it should not be allowed to build new detention facilities anywhere. I’m grateful that in our home state of Oregon, ICE has said there are no plans to expand or build any new detention facilities. Oregonians are united in rejecting the cruelty this agency brings to our communities,” said Dexter.

“ICE has already caused so much damage in our community. From tear-gassing kids to tearing families apart, this agency is out of line and has no place in our cities," Rep. Bynum said.“I'm glad that ICE confirmed that they do not have any plans right now to add detention facilities in Oregon. I'll continue to work with my colleagues to keep them out of our city and our state.”

Click here or see below for the full letter response from Acting Director Todd Lyons:

Thank you for your February 13, 2026 letter to the Department of Homeland Security(DHS). I am responding on behalf of the Department. 

 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is committed to safe, secure, and humane environments for all of those in its custody. ICE continues to evaluate bedspace requirements and availability and is committed to strategically using existing detention beds in a fiscally responsible manner. As part of its detention operations, aliens in ICE custody are housed at a variety of facilities across the United States, including ICE owned and operated facilities; federal, state, county, or local facilities contracted through intergovernmental service agreements; and contractor owned and operated facilities. ICE constantly evaluates its detention needs and contract structures based on changes in immigration patterns, the operational needs of the agency, and the availability of resources.

ICE's enhanced enforcement operations have resulted in a significant number of arrests of criminal aliens, requiring greater detention capacity. As part of these efforts, ICE is exploring various options to increase bedspace capacity nationwide working in collaboration with federal partners such as the U.S. Marshals Service, the Department of War, and the Bureau of Prisons.ICE will continue to prioritize its resources and work closely with its network of federal, state, local, and private sector partners to ensure the agency can acquire sufficient bedspace to fully achieve its mission.

Regarding potential detention facilities in Oregon, ICE is not currently planning to expand current detention facilities or open any new long or short-term detention facilities in Oregon. As for detention expansion outside of Oregon, ICE issued a solicitation under the U.S. Naval Supply Systems Command's Worldwide Expeditionary Multiple Award Contract vehicle to identify vendors to provide comprehensive detention operations and wraparound services including facility, grounds maintenance, and operations services at all newly acquired facilities. ICE anticipates making awards under this solicitation in the coming months and plans to onboard facilities by the end of Fiscal Year 2026. All detention facilities are acquired, constructed, and operated in accordance with federal regulations, court orders, and national detention standards. Unfortunately, ICE cannot provide additional details due to law enforcement sensitivity and operational security maintenance.

Additionally, you request information regarding the capacities of ICE's soft-sided facilities. Camp East Montana, located in El Paso, Texas, is an over 72-hour facility with an average length of stay of 10 days. The Krome North Service Processing Center, which includes a soft-sided facility, in Miami, Florida, is an over 72-hour facility with an average length of stay of 23 days.

All of ICE's detention facilities, including soft-sided facilities, are contractually obligated to operate in accordance with one of several sets of detention standards. The detention standards describe a facility's immigration detention responsibilities, explain what detainee services a facility must provide, and identify what a facility must do to ensure a safe and secure detention environment for staff and detainees.

Specifically, soft-sided facilities operate in accordance with National Detention Standards 2025. To ensure compliance with each contract's terms and conditions and the applicable detention standards, DHS and ICE employ a robust, multilevel oversight and compliance program. At the agency level, Detention Service Managers and Detention Standards Compliance Officers monitor detention conditions through daily on-site compliance reviews to identify deficiencies, areas of concern, contract and facility issues, and to facilitate corrective actions. Additionally, facilities are subject to inspections and audits conducted by the DHS Office of Inspector General, the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the DHS Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, and the ICE Office of Detention Oversight within ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility.

During their immigration proceedings, detainees are afforded numerous procedural protections that ensure they are provided with notice and an opportunity to be heard. In removal proceedings, these protections include, but are not limited to, the right to be represented by an attorney, to contest any charges of removal, to present evidence, and generally to examine evidence against them. While the government does not provide attorneys at the government's expense, all those arrested by ICE and placed into removal proceedings are provided with a list of free legal services and aid resources, including pro bono providers. 

Additionally, ICE facilities continue to provide detainees with opportunities to meet privately with their current or prospective legal representatives, legal assistants, interpreters, and consular officials. While in-person contact visits remain available at the request of legal representatives, non-contact legal visitation (e.g., video teleconference) is available, wherever possible. This offers an alternative for attorneys to communicate with detained clients in a timely and efficient manner, especially when in-person visitation is not possible or practical.

While in detention, detainees reside in temperature-controlled environments at all times. Furthermore, detainees are provided with three nutritious meals a day and meals that support specialized diets, including religious diets and more than a dozen therapeutic diets, as well as cultural preferences. Menus are reviewed and approved on a regular basis by a registered dietitian to ensure appropriate nutrition is provided. Additionally, detainees are provided with clean bedding and "sufficient clean clothing" during their time in detention.

Currently, the Office of Professional Responsibility does not inspect state-owned and operated facilities such as the soft-sided facility in Miami, Florida. The Office of Detention Oversight conducts congressionally mandated compliance inspections of ICE detention facilities that house ICE detainees pursuant to contractual obligations. Camp East Montana is currently the only soft-sided facility subject to Office of Detention Oversight inspection. The Office of Detention Oversight inspected Camp East Montana, which is contractually obligated to the National Detention Standards 2025 inspection standard, from February 10 to 12, 2026. The report is currently being drafted. ICE will publish the final report by April 13, 2026, 60 days after the inspection.

In your letter, you request "a detailed list of every detention standard that has been waived for a soft-sided facility in CY 2025." As previously mentioned, all of ICE's detention facilities operate in accordance with national detention standards. ICE has not approved any waivers of detention standards for any of the soft-sided facilities.

Thank you again for your letter. 

###