DHS Sec Kristi Noem pledges more resources, buildings for ICE in Portland, Chicago

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday announced the agency’s intention to purchase additional buildings in Portland and Chicago that will be used for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This comes amid the Trump administration's crackdown on both sanctuary cities in response to ongoing violent demonstrations at prospective ICE facilities.

"What I'm doing, sir, with your authority, is we're purchasing more buildings in Chicago to operate out of," Noem told Trump during a Cabinet meeting. "We're not going to back off. In fact, we're doubling down, and we're going to be in more parts of Chicago in response to the people there."

Additionally, Noem briefed President Trump on her Tuesday visit to Portland, where the ICE facility on Macadam Avenue has come under violent siege by protesters, many of whom are involved with Antifa networks, for more than four consecutive months.

Noem told the president that she met with Oregon leadership, including Democrat Gov. Tina Kotek, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, and Portland Police Chief Bob Day, to discuss a set of public safety demands she wants the city to implement to quell the ongoing violence at the ICE facility. However, Noem suggested that the meeting did not go as intended, describing the aforementioned Oregon officials as "lying, disingenuous, dishonest people." She vowed to surge federal agents to the area in response.

"We're looking at new facilities to purchase there in Portland, too, and we're going to double down," said Noem. "I told them that if they didn't meet our demands for safety and security on the streets and work with us, then we were going to bring in more federal law enforcement."

Democrat officials in both Portland and Chicago have clashed with the Trump administration in recent weeks following the president's order to deploy the National Guard to both cities, claiming that federal intervention is not needed.

Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Trump during the meeting: " My lawyers are in Court right now…arguing in Chicago and Portland to keep [ICE agents] safe, to bring in the [National] Guard. The government doesn't want it there, but we do. We're going to keep citizens safe, thanks to you."

The day prior, Noem and Bondi attended a White House roundtable regarding the domestic terrorist group, Antifa, which is responsible, in part, for the sustained violence occurring at ICE facilities across the nation. As a result, Noem said that Homeland Security would be increasing security measures to ensure federal buildings are protected, including "snipers on the roof, people to protect our law enforcement while they're out there on the streets."