U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stands on the roof of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is looking to buy more property in Portland.
At a meeting of the Cabinet at the White House on Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she is “looking at new facilities to purchase” in Portland. She didn’t specify what kind of buildings, or for what use.
A spokesperson from Mayor Keith Wilson’s office said they received “no indication” from the federal government that it intends to buy property in the city.
This news followed Noem’s Tuesday visit to Portland, where she visited the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland, which has been the focus of months of protests opposing President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Noem met with Wilson and Gov. Tina Kotek, among other leaders.
At the Cabinet meeting, she called the governor and the mayor “disingenuous and dishonest people,” and that she intended to “double down” if they didn’t improve security for federal officers working at the ICE facility.
Related: Portland weighs taking over lease at ICE facility
Wilson has previously told DHS that the city’s police force has been responsive to any safety concerns outside the ICE facility, and has instead raised concerns about federal officers’ heavy-handed response to peaceful protests.
A spokesperson for the mayor said Thursday that Wilson “urges federal partners to engage constructively and to refrain from rhetoric that misrepresents our city’s leadership and values.”
Noem and Wilson did discuss properties during their meeting. ICE currently leases the South Macadam Avenue building from a private property owner.
At the Tuesday meeting, an aide for Noem asked Wilson about whether the city would want to take over ICE’s lease, to potentially relocate the ICE office. In a press statement, Wilson wrote that he “expressed openness” to either taking over the lease or purchasing the facility.
Related: 9th Circuit Court skeptical of order blocking Trump’s troop deployment to Portland
The city has separately questioned whether ICE should operate out of the South Portland building. Last month, city officials notified the building’s owner that ICE may be violating its land use permit with the city by potentially holding detainees for too long.
Spokespeople for DHS and the General Services Administration, which oversees federal property, did not immediately respond to OPB’s request for comment.
Noem’s announcement came as a federal appeals court weighed overturning a court order blocking Trump from deploying members of the Oregon National Guard to Portland. The court has yet to make a ruling.
