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A government contractor has listed several job postings in Portland for an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility.
The jobs are labeled as “notional”—suggesting plans are not yet firm. The positions range from “warden” to “quality assurance manager” to “unarmed guard supervisor.”
A posting on Indeed lists the job’s address as 7000 NE Airport Way—the site of the Portland International Airport. But that same posting also says the location is “TBD.”
KGW first reported on the job postings.
Oregon does not have a long-term ICE detention facility. Those arrested and detained by ICE in Oregon are often transported to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Wash. Prior to that transport, they are sometimes held for relatively brief periods at the federal facility on the South Waterfront, which has become a flashpoint for protests over the past year.
It is unclear if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has contacted local officials about the matter. “The Port has not received any information or communication on this,” Kara Hansen of the Port of Portland tells WW.
Asked if the city has received word of plans about a potential ICE facility, a spokesman responded, “In short, no. The City of Portland continues to receive limited and incomplete information from the federal government regarding ongoing ICE matters. We have no additional information beyond what has been publicly posted. Mayor Wilson strongly opposes the presence of any ICE detention facility in Portland.”
Media contacts for ICE and its parent agency, the U.S Department of Homeland Security, did not respond to questions about their plans. Neither did the contractor, Acuity International.
Based in Virginia, Acuity International has various contracts with ICE for services ranging from transportation to detention facility management. The company also posted jobs weeks ago for a “notional” positions tied to ICE work in Newport. State and local officials have opposed any ICE facility there, and the current status of that undertaking is unclear.
Most of the Acuity International job postings, listed on its own website and on Indeed, are dated to Tuesday. The Acuity website also lists a related Portland-based job that it says was posted weeks ago.
That listing, for a training officer, seeks someone with DHS or ICE experience, who would be “responsible for developing, delivering, and maintaining training programs for staff within an ICE detention facility. This role ensures that all personnel are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to operate in compliance with ICE standards, maintain safety and security, and uphold detainee rights and welfare.”
The more recent job postings detail an array of potential duties.
The unarmed guard supervisor in Portland “is responsible for leading and coordinating the daily activities of unarmed security personnel within an ICE detention facility.”
The operations manager “is responsible for overseeing the daily operational functions of an ICE detention facility, ensuring compliance with federal standards, maintaining safety and security, and coordinating cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality detainee services.”
The warden / facility director “is responsible for the overall leadership, administration, and operational integrity of a detention facility,” and, the listing says, must ensure compliance with ICE detention standards.
