The City of Portland will issue a land use violation notice this Thursday to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Southwest Portland, launching a formal process to determine whether its detention practices violate conditions tied to its site approval.
City officials allege the South Waterfront facility, located at 4310 S. Macadam Ave., breached its conditional land use approval by detaining individuals overnight or for more than 12 hours—actions prohibited under the current city-approved use. Federal records show at least 25 such violations occurred between October 1, 2024, and July 27, 2025, with the most recent reported on May 20. A separate violation related to boarded-up windows is also cited in the notice but is not linked to detention policies.
“U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement made clear detention limitation commitments to our community, and we believe they broke those policies more than two dozen times,” said Mayor Keith Wilson. “I am proud of our team for conducting a thorough, thoughtful investigation, and referring the matter to the next steps in the land use violation process.”
A conditional land use approval has governed the site since 2011, shortly after the building’s owner entered a long-term lease with the federal General Services Administration. The facility serves as a processing center where ICE officers detain and interview individuals to assess their legal status in the United States.
The city’s permitting bureau opened an investigation in late July in response to formal complaints and reviewed data released to the Deportation Data Project, a nonprofit organization that obtained ICE records through the Freedom of Information Act.
Under Portland’s land use regulations, once a notice of violation is issued, the property owner or operator has 30 days to correct the issue. If substantial evidence supports the violation, the city may impose a fine. Additionally, the Portland Permitting & Development department may schedule a hearing at least 60 days after the notice to reconsider the site’s land use approval. Any decision by the hearings officer can be appealed to the Portland City Council.
Despite the ongoing investigation, ICE may continue operating at the site under its current land use approval until further action is taken.
As a sanctuary city, Portland prohibits city employees—including police officers—from enforcing federal immigration law or using city resources for immigration enforcement. Police only cooperate with ICE when specifically required by federal law.
