Mayor Wilson Responds Following Meeting with Secretary Noem: 'Portland continues to manage public safety professionally and responsibly'

Statement from Portland Mayor Keith Wilson

Like Governor Kotek and Chief Day, I met with Secretary Noem today to pursue community priorities about federal actions and public safety in Portland.

We continue to ask the federal government for engineers for roads and bridges, funding for schools, and resources for our healthcare system. What Secretary Noem saw today in Portland matches our reports: Portland continues to manage public safety professionally and responsibly, irrespective of the claims of out-of-state social media influencers.

I continue to maintain that the tactics used by federal agents at the ICE facility are troubling and likely unconstitutional. In terms of recent rhetoric, we still do not know what "Full Force" against Portland means, or how the administration plans to use our city as a military "training ground." Because of these deeply concerning situational unknowns, I intend to explore options to protect our community and our right to free expression.

In the meantime, I will continue to demand that Federal officers operating in our city adhere to the same high standards we require of the Portland Police Bureau. We believe a constitutional federal government must be accountable to the community in terms of clear limits on use of force, officer identification, limits on chemical munitions, and body-worn cameras. The Federal Protective Service lists its core values as service, integrity, honor, and vigilance. It is time for the Federal Protective Service to return to those values.

As Mayor, it is my responsibility to protect our community from the federal government's increasingly unpredictable and escalating actions that we continue to face. Portland will continue the hard work of protecting our community, keeping our streets safe, and defending the right to peaceful protest. I welcome federal partnership that is transparent, accountable, and aligned with Portland's standards.