Hundreds testify at Portland committee hearing calling for revocation of ICE facility permit on South Macadam

Dozens of Portland residents and immigrant-rights advocates urged the Community and Public Safety Committee on July 8 to revoke a conditional use permit for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility at 4310 South Macadam, saying the site repeatedly violates permit conditions and poses a public-safety and public-health threat to nearby residents and a school.

Speakers at the hearing — which was devoted entirely to public testimony — described repeated uses of chemical agents, long detentions that they say exceed the permit’s 12‑hour limit, and aggressive tactics by federal agents. “Revoking the permit is not enough,” said Lily Larson, a District 4 resident. “You must use the Portland Police Bureau to protect the constitutional rights of the people of Portland from a federal government who is becoming alien to the constitution.”

Why it matters: Testifiers said the McAdam facility’s operations undermine Portland’s sanctuary-city commitments, threaten neighborhood safety and children’s health near Cottonwood School of Civics and Science, and reduce access to legal counsel when detainees are transferred out of Portland. Several speakers pointed to reporting and ICE data they said show the facility has held detainees for longer than permitted and called on city officials to use land-use and permit review powers to remove ICE’s ability to detain people on that site.

Testimony and evidence

Multiple speakers told the committee they had observed or documented chemical agents used at the site and described injuries and neighborhood contamination. “They are poisoning our neighborhoods with illegal and highly toxic hexachloroethane gas,” said Lily Larson. Parents and school leaders asked the city to fund soil and environmental testing and remediation around play areas after repeated incidents. Maricela Van Sickle, chair of the board at Cottonwood School of Civics and Science, said the board is “actively seeking an alternative location to hold school this fall” and requested the city commit to covering comprehensive soil testing and cleanup at no cost to the school.

Several speakers cited permit conditions adopted in 2011 that limit how the site may be used, including a stated prohibition on holding detainees for more than 12 hours and a requirement that the facility not pose an unreasonable safety risk to nearby uses. Multiple testifiers said ICE’s own data show repeated violations of those limits: one speaker said ICE data indicated at least 28 incidents of holding detainees longer than the permit allows; another said there were 24 such incidents in the past six months.

Concerns about local law enforcement cooperation

Many witnesses criticized the Portland Police Bureau’s interactions with federal agents. “Why then does the Portland Police Bureau continue to aid them?” asked Jeremy Beausoleil Smith, a resident who said he had seen officers escort ICE vans and observed injuries that followed joint operations. Multiple speakers alleged Portland officers cleared the ICE driveway during protests, posted no‑trespass notices on adjacent public land, or otherwise facilitated federal operations.

Legal and bureaucratic avenues described

Several speakers and advocates urged the council to open a land‑use or conditional‑use revocation review as the first step toward removing ICE’s detention capability at the McAdam site. An organizer who described the permits said there are two relevant actions: a 2010 land‑use decision that allowed ICE offices, and a 2011 conditional‑use permit that authorized detention. “You can revoke the 2011 conditional use permit on the grounds that ICE is not meeting the requirements set forth in that permit,” a testifier said, noting documented instances of detentions beyond 12 hours.

Council response and next steps

Committee members thanked speakers and said staff and the city attorney’s office are working on options. Councilor Smith said sanctuary status remains “incredibly important.” Councilor Zimmerman noted the city attorney’s office is preparing options and that district attorneys from across Oregon have been invited to coordinate legal approaches. Councilor Murillo said her office is following up on permit‑violation allegations, the use of chemical agents, and the incident in which a Portland officer reportedly broke a protester’s arm; she said investigations are underway.

Chair Kunal closed by noting the committee will continue the discussion at upcoming meetings: the committee meets July 15 for a follow up and July 22 for a Portland Police Bureau annual report and related public comment. He emphasized the hearing was not a vote and that the committee’s authority is constrained by federal jurisdiction over federal buildings.

Ending

No formal action was taken at the July 8 hearing; the session consisted solely of public testimony and remarks from committee members. Speakers and councilors said they expect further briefings and staff work on permit review, PPB conduct, and environmental testing in the weeks ahead.