Photo: Alamy
The Department of Homeland Security plans to acquire new buildings in Chicago and Portland to serve as local bases for expanded immigration enforcement operations, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday, vowing that the administration will “not back off” from its efforts in both cities.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Noem said the department is “doubling down” on its presence in Chicago and Portland, two cities that have clashed repeatedly with federal officials over immigration enforcement and public safety operations.
“We’re going to not back off,” Noem told Trump and other Cabinet members. “In fact, we’re doubling down, and we’re going to be in more parts of Chicago in response to the people there.”
Noem said she visited Chicago earlier in the week to inspect potential facilities “that we can deploy more law enforcement out of.” She accused city leaders and activists of using “riots and violence” to distract federal authorities from “going after those murderers and rapists that are out in the streets.”
The secretary said the new facilities would enable Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other federal officers to deploy directly from federal property rather than depend on cooperation from city governments that have declared themselves “sanctuary” jurisdictions.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order this week creating “ICE-free zones,” which prohibit federal immigration agents from using city-owned buildings or land for immigration enforcement operations.
Noem said that the policy would not deter federal efforts. “We’re hardening our federal buildings in Chicago and Portland,” she said, adding that DHS plans to install “more security measures, snipers on the roof, [and] people to protect our law enforcement while they’re out there on the streets.”
Noem also confirmed she met this week with Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, and Police Chief Bob Day during a visit to the city.
The Department of Homeland Security has not confirmed which specific properties it plans to purchase or when the facilities will be operational. However, officials familiar with the discussions say the proposed acquisitions could include warehouse-style facilities and existing government buildings repurposed for ICE and Border Patrol field operations.