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Portland City Council considers how to boot ICE out of city facility

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Portland City Council considers how to boot ICE out of city facility

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Portland’s progressive-leaning city council is exploring ways to expel Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from a detention facility that has become a flashpoint for violent clashes between agents and radical agitators.

Last week, city councilors told a packed hearing that they would consider revoking ICE’s permit to operate its South Waterfront facility along South Moody Avenue due to alleged violations of a 2011 conditional-use permit, according to local news outlet Willamette Week.

The permit allows detention and administrative use under specific limitations, but lawmakers have raised concerns that ICE has been holding detainees there for longer than the required 12-hour limit.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detain a man outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs building during a protest Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

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PATRIOTIC ICE OFFICER REPLACES AMERICAN FLAG AFTER PROTESTERS BURNED EXISTING BANNER AT PORTLAND FACILITY

Residents and lawmakers raised moral concerns too, saying that the facility undermines the city’s sanctuary city policy, while residents testified about targeted arrests, gas attacks and intimidation.

“Our values of sanctuary and humanity are under siege,” local resident Michelle Dar said. She also said that federal agents’ armed actions threatened everyone’s safety, not just that of immigrants.

Other residents complained that loud bangs and flashbangs were disrupting life for residents of subsidized housing and students of a local school. A handful of people also blamed Antifa for the ugly scenes outside the facility.

Chaotic scenes have been unfolding outside the facility since June, including in one incident where a large group of anti-ICE protesters tried to block law enforcement vehicles from entering and exiting the facility, forcing agents to deploy rubber bullets, tear gas and flash bangs to disperse the crowd.

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DHS announced a new American flag was added to its Portland ICE facility after protesters burned others. (Photo courtesy of DHS )

SUSPECTED ICE FACILITY ATTACKERS ARRESTED IN BLUE CITY, CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING FEDERAL OFFICERS

Violent agitators have also smashed windows, pelted agents and the facility with rocks and other objects. On Independence Day, violent rioters cut internet cables, damaged the sprinkler system, hurled rocks and fireworks at law enforcement and burned an American flag, according to DHS.

But most residents and lawmakers’ concerns pertained to ICE’s alleged violation of its permit terms, particularly related to how long detainees were being held, rather than the violence caused by protesters or agitators.

They urged the council to revoke the permit, citing a local report that ICE had violated the permit more than two dozen times by holding detainees for longer than 12 hours.

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“If we allow ICE to continue to operate when they have violated their permits, that means that anything becomes permissible moving forward,” City Council Member Angelita Morillo told the community and public safety committee hearing. “And so, for me, that change in information has changed the calculation.”

Meanwhile, City Council Member Steve Novick said the council should take a broader moral stand against the federal deportation machine.

“This is an assault on our democracy as a whole… The assault on immigrants is the tip of the spear,” Novick said, per the outlet. “We should not be trying to figure out how to keep our heads low and avoid the attention of this administration.”

City Council Member Eric Zimmerman said the chamber was exploring legal pathways to revoke the permit and that the city attorney’s office was working on a memo about the city’s legal options regarding the ICE facility.

Law enforcement officers grab a demonstrator outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs building during a protest Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

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Border Czar Tom Homan last week vowed to “double down and triple down” on sanctuary cities that are obstructing ICE operations, specifically mentioning Portland.

“We’re going to do the job,” Homan said on Fox News’ “Kudlow.” 

“We’re going to do it in Portland too. But for the mayors of New York City and Chicago, President [Donald] Trump made it clear two weeks ago, we are going to double down and triple down the sanctuary cities. … If we can’t arrest that bad guy in the jail, then we’ll go to the community and we’ll find him. Or we’ll do more worksite enforcement.”

Fox News’ Alexandra Koch and Bill Melugin contributed to this report. 

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Montana

Clark Fork River remains central to Missoula’s identity, conservation groups say

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Clark Fork River remains central to Missoula’s identity, conservation groups say


The Clark Fork River has long been a defining feature of Missoula, shaping the city’s culture, economy and outdoor lifestyle.

The river is so closely tied to the area that it helped inspire the well-known book and film “A River Runs Through It.” But local conservation advocates say its importance goes far beyond scenery.

“Without the Clark Fork River, Missoula would just be another town,” said Lisa Ronald, Northern Rockies associate conservation director for American Rivers. “We wouldn’t be the River City. I think we’re known in Montana as Missoula the River City, and it’s really because of the Clark Fork River and its central role in business, in economics, in recreation, that really makes Missoula the town that it is.”

Carmen Murill, a field organizer with Wild Montana, said the river is deeply woven into daily life for people who live in Missoula.

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“A lot of us would wonder what to do on a beautiful or a rainy summer day,” Murill said. “I mean, it’s really a lifeforce of town. And I think it’s pretty unique that Missoula, as a community is living and breathing on both sides of the river. It’s really like two downtowns but connected by the Clark Fork.”

Conservation groups say protecting the river begins with community involvement.

Advocates encourage residents and visitors to spend time outdoors, whether on a trail, in the woods or along the river, and to learn how they can become better stewards of the environment.



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Nevada

Hillel of Northern Nevada Builds Community at the University

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Hillel of Northern Nevada Builds Community at the University


Serving as a home away from home, Hillel of Northern Nevada is a space that allows students at the University of Nevada, Reno to be together, rooted in their culture.  

When students start college, they not only leave their homes and families, they also leave behind their communities, routines and direct support systems. 

“Hillel of Northern Nevada allows students to be together, rooted in a familiar culture and religion. Whether it’s for a holiday celebration or simply to laugh and enjoy each other’s company,” Hannah Alterwitz, director of Hillel of Northern Nevada, said.  

The organization, which is the Northern Nevada chapter of Hillel International, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including social outings like ice skating, mini golf and craft nights, alongside cultural and religious celebrations for Shabbat and the High Holidays. 

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“Hillel serves as a place for Jewish students to belong. We are a social organization. We are a pluralistic group, meaning no matter how someone practices Judaism, they will always be welcome at Hillel,” Alterwitz said.  

One event that stood out to Alterwitz this semester was a campus visit from U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen, where students had the opportunity to ask questions and participate in deeper discussions about issues affecting students and the broader Nevada community. 

“It was so impactful on the students to be able to talk openly with the Senator about the problems communities are facing every day. Students asked about ICE, AI data centers, and the rise of antisemitism across the country. To watch them have a real dialogue and come away from that conversation curious and motivated to help tackle the issues facing our country was really special,” Alterwitz said.

As Jewish American Heritage Month came to an end in May, Hillel of Northern Nevada continues building community around campus throughout the year.  Alterwitz invites anyone who is interested in Jewish heritage to check the organization out.

“I hope that if a student takes anything away from this, it’s that Hillel is a place where Jewish students and those interested in Jewish culture can come and meet some great people and have some fun! Jews are not a monolith; we have lots of different opinions and backgrounds. It is such a diverse religion, but if you like good food, good friends, and Jewish culture, Hillel has a place for you,” Alterwitz said.

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To learn about upcoming events and opportunities to get involved, go to @hillelofnorthernnevada on Instagram or reach out to Hannah directly at hannah.alterwitz@jewishnevada.org 





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New Mexico

New Mexico Highlands University president sues school

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New Mexico Highlands University president sues school


LAS VEGAS, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University President Niel Woolf has sued the school, claiming leaders pushed him to redirect a $600,000 contract to a chairman’s friend.

Woolf filed the lawsuit after the university placed him on administrative leave at the beginning of May.

He says Board of Regents Chair Frank Sanchez told him to cancel a $600,000 agreement with an out-of-state contractor and give it to a local contractor.

Woolf says that company is led by a friend of both Sanchez and his brother-in-law, Sen. Pete Campos, who represents Las Vegas.

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In the lawsuit, Woolf says Sanchez told him directing the funds to his friend would “go a long way towards securing money for the University from Senator Campos,” said Woolf.

Woolf is seeking damages and attorney’s fees under the New Mexico Whistleblower Protection Act.



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