City of Newport officials are planning a public meeting Wednesday, Nov. 12, to discuss reports that ICE is planning on building a U.S. Customs & Immigration Enforcement facility possibly at the Newport Municipal Airport. It is reportedly one of several locations along the Coast under consideration. Newport city officials say they haven’t been able to reach federal officials to confirm that the site was under consideration, but added they have received credible information indicating it was. “City of Newport officials were made aware of information that the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is in the process of evaluating locations along the Oregon coast for a potential U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) immigration facility, and the Newport Municipal Airport has been identified as a possible location for this facility. City leadership is actively working with local, state, and federal legislators to verify and assess this information, its potential effects on public safety and city resources, and municipal and legal options that may be available. Efforts to contact DHS representatives by phone and email have not received a response at the time of this release. The City’s standard communications practices require the confirmation of details prior to releasing information to the public. However, due to credibility of the information received by City officials and the sensitivity of the issue, Newport leadership has chosen to share this information with the community in the interest of public safety and transparency. On Wednesday, Nov. 12, Newport City Council will hold an open public meeting at Newport City Hall starting at 6 pm.”