Portland City Councilors have approved a new policy designed to penalize landlords who lease to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“We have very limited tools to address what is going on at detention facilities as a local government, we have very limited tools to regulate the federal government,” said Councilor Angelita Morillo, who introduced the policy. “But we have an opportunity here to do something today.”

Councilors approved Morillo’s policy on a 9-2 vote, with one absence. The decision follows months of protests outside of South Portland’s ICE facility, demonstrations that inspired President Donald Trump to attempt to deploy the National Guard in Portland.

The policy introduces new fees for private property owners whose building is leased to be used as a detention facility. It exempts all government-owned property, like the Multnomah County Detention Center or a federally-owned ICE detention facility, which Portland doesn’t currently have.

While it’s not explicitly named in the city policy, the South Portland ICE facility is the only building in Portland that currently meets this description. The federal government leases the ICE building from owner Stuart Lindquist. Lindquist did not respond to OPB’s request for comment.

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The new policy won’t immediately impact that facility — it may only apply if Lindquist renews the lease, which expires in 2033.

The policy also prohibits detention facilities from creating a “nuisance” by contaminating areas outside their building with hazardous materials, like tear gas and pepper spray. Federal officers have deployed chemical munitions into groups of protesters outside Portland’s ICE facility, and neighbors have complained about painful chemicals seeping into their homes.

Unlike the detention fee, this nuisance policy could impact Portland’s ICE facility soon — as soon as the fee rates are set.

These fees will be set by the city administrator’s office. Revenue brought in from fees levied against a landlord would be spent on any costs tied to the detention center’s impact in the neighborhood. The legislation largely points to protest-related expenses, like police overtime, environmental cleanup of chemical munitions, and traffic management.

Councilor Sameer Kanal noted that over the last five months, the city has spent more than $1 million in overtime pay for police sent to the area near the ICE facility.

“That’s why I’m able to support this ordinance,” Kanal said.

The proposal attracted opposition from across the political spectrum.

Lawyers representing Lindquist, a registered Republican, accused the policy of unconstitutionally penalizing Lindquist for who he chooses to lease to. Portland Metro Chamber and a number of property owner organizations opposed the policy for endangering Portland’s real estate market.

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Meanwhile, a coalition of left-wing activists who’ve spent months protesting outside Portland’s ICE facility and calling for its closure have condemned the policy for not going far enough to derail ICE’s influence in Portland.

Other progressive groups and ICE building neighbors have cheered the policy. The Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and REACH Community Development Corporation, an affordable housing provider that owns a residential building across from the ICE facility, backed Morillo’s plan.

Councilors Steve Novick and Dan Ryan cast the two votes in opposition.

Novick questioned the standard the policy was setting by penalizing property owners just because there are protests in front of their building. He asked if councilors would levy the same kind of fees against operators that they may be more politically aligned with, like an abortion clinic.

“Maybe I’m like being unduly obsessed with intellectual consistency,” said Novick, “but that’s my concern.”

Morillo argued that detention centers are more likely to use chemical munitions against protesters than an abortion clinic.

Ryan said the policy was “high visibility and low impact,” a pairing that he doesn’t support.

The new policy is just one of several ways the city is examining its relationship with the ICE building. In September, the city issued a land use violation against Lindquist, claiming he broke an agreement that limits how long people can be detained at the facility. Lindquist’s lawyers have challenged that decision.

Representatives with Portland’s planning department are expected to meet with Lindquist before the end of the year to consider his land use violation appeal.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/03/portland-council-sanctions-detention-facilities/