The City of Newport has reached a settlement with the US Department of Justice following nearly 10 months of litigation over the potential siting of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Newport, Lincoln County News reported on Friday, October 23, 2026.
Source: Lincoln County News
Under the settlement, ICE stipulated that it currently has no plans to expand existing detention facilities or open new long- or short-term detention facilities anywhere in Oregon. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also agreed to provide the City of Newport with at least 30 days' notice before issuing an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement for a plan to construct or operate a detention facility in Newport, the report said. The agreement was filed and approved in federal court in Eugene and the lawsuit was officially dismissed on Friday, after Judge Ann Aiken had given Justice Department lawyers until Friday to obtain final approval for the negotiated settlement, the Lincoln Chronicle reported.
Source: Lincoln Chronicle
“This has been a long and challenging process for our community, and we have remained committed to protecting Newport's interests every step of the way,” Mayor Jan Kaplan said in a city news release. “Our responsibility is to stand up for our residents, protect our community's future and ensure that decisions affecting Newport are made with the transparency and accountability our community deserves.” City Council President Robert Emond said the council's priority from the beginning was “to protect Newport and ensure that federal actions affecting our community respect the laws, agreements and safeguards in place.”
Source: Lincoln County News — City of Newport release
In a parallel case, conservation organisations Oregon Shores and Cascadia Wildlands, together with the City of Newport and the State of Oregon, voluntarily dismissed their lawsuit without prejudice on October 23 after DHS stated in a court filing that it is “not currently planning to expand any current detention facilities or open any new long or short-term detention facilities in the State of Oregon,” Cascadia Wildlands said. Their January complaint alleged that DHS's plans to build the facility at Newport Municipal Airport violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), and that the project could affect federally listed species including the snowy plover and marbled murrelet. “This is a huge victory for the people of Oregon and our shared environment,” said Josh Laughlin, executive director of Cascadia Wildlands.
Source: Cascadia Wildlands
The dispute began in October 2025, when the city became aware of federal efforts to potentially establish an ICE detention facility at the US Coast Guard Air Facility at Newport Municipal Airport. The city sued in US District Court on December 22, 2025. To make room for the proposed facility, the Coast Guard in late October 2025 moved a long-stationed rescue helicopter from Newport 100 miles south to North Bend; a separate lawsuit by Newport Fishermen's Wives and Lincoln County won an injunction three days after it was filed on November 21, forcing the helicopter's return, Cascadia Wildlands said. The stipulation covers ICE's current plans; the conservation groups said they would remain vigilant over any future proposal.