Jeff Merkley

Oregon’s Democratic congressional delegation said Friday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has no plans to open any new detention facilities in the state or expand current ones.

On Feb. 12, the delegation, led by Rep. Andrea Salinas and Sen. Jeff Merkley, sent a letter to the federal immigration-enforcement agency making clear they were opposed to any increased ICE presence in Oregon. The letter came amid speculation ICE was eying Newport for a new detention facility.

Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, responded to the letter Thursday, saying the agency is “not currently planning” to add new detention facilities in Oregon or expand what it already has in the state.

Merkley said he wasn’t taking Lyons at his word.

“Again and again, ICE has been caught lying to the American people, so we should be skeptical of anything they tell us,” Merkley said in a news release. “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.”

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A bid for contracts recently posted to a federal government website indicated the Department of Homeland Security is looking for office space, as well as Wi-Fi and other services, for ICE agents across the country, including in Portland and Roseburg.

Oregon Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate oppose even additional office space for ICE agents, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici said, adding in the news release:

“Oregonians do not want or need ICE in our state.”