(PORTLAND) — The Portland City Council faced intense public criticism for perceived inaction on the Portland ICE facility, with calls for its shutdown citing city charter powers, during the meeting on Wednesday February 18th.
Photo Credit: YouTube / City of Portland
“Public comments were dominated by sharp criticism of the council's perceived inaction and 'passing the buck' regarding the Portland ICE facility, with speakers alleging hypocrisy and even 'institutional racism' in the council's approach to issues affecting vulnerable communities,” OpGov.ai reports.
Isabella Shepard criticized the council regarding their handling of the Portland ICE facility, stating that both the Council and Portland Permitting and Development claim the other has authority to act.
Photo Credit: YouTube / City of Portland
She cited city charter provisions empowering the council to prevent/remove unsafe buildings and nuisances.
“You can investigate any department of the city. You say it’s in Permitting and Development’s hands, so why don’t you investigate them for allowing ICE to delay the violation for five months? Obviously, you know what your own powers are, but I want the public to know that you are deliberately refusing to protect them from ICE,” Shepard said.
Shepard continues her testimony by speaking about a recent chemical attack that affected a large area of Portland.
“At the end of January, DHS released a massive attack on thousands of protestors, including children, burying the neighborhood in chemicals and poisoning the air, so the effects were felt for miles. The next day they did the same attack on our protests of thousands,” Shepard said.
Continuing further, Shepard becomes emotional, as she tells the council about being personally attacked while protesting.
Photo Credit: YouTube / City of Portland
“One of the tear gas canisters fell at my feet, spewing flames so hot it melted my pants. ICE set me on fire! They set me on fire,” Shepard said.
Following public communications, City Administrator Raymond Lee gave his update of the Macadam ICE facility.
Photo Credit: YouTube / City of Portland
“On February the 13th, this past Friday, Portland Permitting and Development issued an administrative review decision upholding the land use violation at the ICE facility in South Portland. The property owner now has until March 16th, 2026, to correct the violations and has 10 business days to appeal this decision to the city code hearing officer,” Lee said.
Lee reminded those in attendance that this is an ongoing process.
“It’s important to remember that this is just one step in the notice of violation case. We remain committed to following the process to ensure that the outcome is meaningful and defensible,” Lee stated.
The city administrator’s report was booed, and a protest broke out with members of the audience approaching the dais, as seen in the video below.
Video Credit: YouTube / City of Portland
Council President Jamie Dunphy asks that the protestors be removed form the chamber and calls a 10-minute recess.
It was over a half-hour later that council finally reconvened virtually.
Photo Credit: YouTube / CIty of Portland
Following the disruption, the council adopted a resolution to amend the Portland Enterprise Zone boundary, despite concerns about tax abatements and the absence of a comprehensive Community Benefits Agreement for construction workers.
“The three items concerning the allocation of approximately $20.7 million from the Rental Services Office and Portland Housing Bureau were indefinitely postponed by an 8-4 vote for each item, citing a need for more information and a work session,” Opgov.ai said.
Councilor Loretta Smith has strong words for her colleagues.
“We need to get some money on the streets right now and [are] just delaying this and delaying this. I mean, justice delayed is justice denied, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Smith said. “But it sounds like you don’t want to get money on the streets. It sounds like you want to just pontificate about what this is. We are policy makers. We need to be able to grasp information, take it in, and act on it.”
Photo Credit: YouTube / City of Portland
Many public testifiers, who had prepared to speak on the housing fund allocation for a third time, were denied the opportunity to do so, due to council being removed from chambers because of the protest.
Critics argued that the delay was a stall tactic, a denial of justice for those facing homelessness and eviction, and a disrespectful dismissal of public testifiers who had waited multiple meetings.
Opgov.ai will continue to cover the Portland City Council and the Macadam ICE facility.
If you would like to comment on or add to this report, please email me at rory.h@lead4earth.org.
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