State and federal lawmakers say they’ve been kept in the dark about a possible U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement facility at the Newport Municipal Airport — but emerging clues point to the project’s potential scale. 

Public job postings for “detention officers” based in Newport, a request for septic tank services and a bid to lease four vacant acres at the airport all suggest ICE is planning to build a detention facility, elected officials say. 

In a statement, Gov. Tina Kotek said the federal government “continues to refuse to share their plans” with her or the public. 

“While information is limited at this time, I oppose spending taxpayer dollars on an unwanted and unnecessary additional ICE detention facility in Newport, or any part of the state,” Kotek said. 

On Wednesday, four members of Oregon’s congressional delegation sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem asking her to share the department’s plans and questioning the decision to move a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter stationed at Newport. 

The letter argues that establishing a detention facility in Newport would be “deeply misguided” and could disrupt the tourism and fishing industries that are so important to the city of 10,000. 

“ICE has already rounded up law-abiding members of our communities who present no threat to public safety, which has created fear among Oregon families,” says the letter, signed by Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Val Hoyle, all Democrats. 

ICE and the Coast Guard didn’t immediately respond to inquiries. 

Noem, as secretary of homeland security, controls the Coast Guard, which owns a helicopter base at the airport.

State Rep. David Gomberg, a Democrat who represents the city, said a Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, used for water rescues and other missions, was quietly redeployed to a different base, about 100 miles south of Newport, at the end of October. 

“They pulled the helicopter out without any notice just when the weather is turning bad and the crab season is beginning,” Gomberg said in an interview. “People will potentially die because of that decision.” 

Job postings first identified by Oregon Public Broadcasting show Asset Protection & Security Services, a Texas-based contractor, is looking to hire detention officers to “provide care, custody and control of those in ICE custody” in Newport. 

Other ads posted by Acuity International, a Virginia contractor, seek applicants for a variety of health-care jobs in Newport, including registered nurses, behavioral-health technicians and an infection-prevention officer. 

Dan Brammer, an Acuity employee, sent a request Monday to a Lincoln County septic company, saying that an unidentified “federal project” will require pumping services for 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of sewage a day, for as long as three years, according to screenshots reviewed by The Oregonian/OregonLive. 

The request also sought pricing for portable toilets and handwashing stations. Brammer and the septic business owner, Angie Ware, declined to comment. 

Separate from the helicopter base, a Texas contractor known for being able to quickly set up military housing is looking to lease the four acres of vacant land, records show. 

Newport’s city council has made no decision regarding the request to lease the four acres of undeveloped land at the city-owned airport, which is located about three miles south of downtown, 

The seven-person council is set to discuss the issue at a special meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday. 

A lot of conclusions could be drawn from Oregon’s big win over Iowa on Saturday. Calling them a “paper tiger” is not one of them.

There is a bizarre opinion among some members of the national media and opposing fanbases that the Ducks haven’t played anyone. Apparently, September 27^th was so long ago that it has completely left their memories.

Oregon has faced three ranked opponents so far this season. They have come away with two wins and a close loss to the #2 ranked Indiana Hoosiers at Autzen. They have faced injuries, torrential downpours, and nationally recognized hostile crowds… but I guess that’s not enough.

Oregon is a Paper Tiger?

They are if you believe Will Brackus of CBS Sports. He wrote, “Oregon will be exposed when it has to match up against one of the 12 best teams in the nation.” This is an interesting opinion. Was Oregon “exposed” against Indiana?

Offensively the Ducks certainly struggled in that game. Defensively they held the Hoosiers to 111 rushing yards and 215 passing yards. This is a team that’s currently averaging 232 yards on the ground and 255 yards for the air. They are 6^th in the nation with 487 total yards of offense per game. Exposed?

Brackus continued, “The Ducks don’t have the best résumé thus far. Their admittedly gritty win on the road against No. 20 Iowa Saturday was their first triumph against a ranked team all season.”

I guess in an alternate universe the Ducks faced the #3 ranked Nittany Lions in a white-out at Beaver Stadium. They pulled off a massive win, in overtime, over a top 5 team on the road. They did it in an environment that everyone said was arguably the toughest in college football. That means nothing now, apparently.

His final statement was, “Oregon has done nothing to show that it will compete well on a national stage.”

This Team has Shown Nothing?

We could debate if you think the Ducks haven’t shown enough to prove they’re a true contender this season. To think that they have done nothing to show that they would compete well on a national stage is ludicrous.  

Right now the Ducks are the 13^th best offense, averaging 471 yards per game. Their passing has fallen off a bit because of weather and injuries to key positions. Their run game, however, is 6^th in the nation averaging 240 yards per game.

Against the Iowa Hawkeyes, they put up 261 yards on the ground, averaging 7.3 yards per carry. This was the most total yardage that Iowa has given up since 2022. More impressively, it was the most yards per carry since 2014.

The Hawkeyes entered the game as the 3^rd best defense in the nation in total yards allowed per game. They were 5^th in passing yards allowed and 4^th in total yards allowed. They had the 10^th best run defense as well. This team was no pushover and it was on the road in the rain.

The Ducks are a physical, run first offense right now. They’re grinding out opponents and imposing their will in the trenches. This is not the Oregon Ducks of 15 years ago. The rest of college football has not woken up to that fact yet.

The Ducks have an Elite Defense

Even if you’re not ready to concede that Oregon has a solid offense, their defense is truly elite.

The Ducks are currently ranked 3^rd in overall yards per game. They are #1 in passing defense, allowing only 126 yards through the air. Oregon is also 6^th in points allowed per game at 14. They absolutely have a defense that could win a national championship right now.

PFF grades them as the 15^th best defense but gives them the 4^th best coverage grade in the nation (92.1). They are just barely behind Ohio State (92.2) and Alabama (92.3) on the season. The Ducks have been a no-fly zone for most of the season. They had a couple lapses against Iowa but overall teams have had a very difficult time throwing the ball.

This is not going to be an easy out for any team… regardless of their ranking.

AP Voters Still Doubt Them

Despite beating one of the best defenses in the country, Oregon fell in the AP poll on Sunday. It was clearly much more impressive that Ole Miss defeated The Citadel Bulldogs 49-0 at home. Those late season FCS opponents are always a good litmus test for how legitimate a team is in the rankings.

Oregon dropped to 7^th in the AP, but at this juncture this ranking is completely irrelevant. The only ranking that matters are the playoff rankings and we won’t know those for a couple days. Funny enough, the coaches poll kept the Ducks at 6^th.

With #7 BYU losing to #8 Texas Tech, and Oregon defeating the #20 ranked Hawkeyes, it’s likely that the Ducks will move up into the top 8. This is a good spot, as it would secure Oregon a home playoff game as long as they win out.

One thing to keep an eye on is USC for the rest of the season. The Ducks play the Trojans at home in a couple weeks whicch will most likely will be the final ranked team on their schedule. Washington dropped to Wisconsin at home on Saturday and will assuredly fall out of the rankings.