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Dec 24, 2025

Noem Warns Portland Mayor: More Feds Coming If City Refuses Cooperation-llllllllllllll

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a blunt ultimatum Tuesday to Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, warning that the Biden administration’s legal battles with the city won’t stop her from sending “four times the amount of federal officers” if local officials continue to resist cooperating with federal security operations.

Noem flew to Portland to tour the city’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility — a flashpoint for repeated protests — amid an ongoing legal dispute between Oregon state leaders and the Trump administration over the president’s plan to deploy National Guard troops to the city.

Noem told Fox News host Jesse Watters that she left her meeting with Mayor Wilson “extremely disappointed.”

“He’s continuing to play politics,” she said. “What I told him is that if he did not follow through on some of these security measures for our officers, we were going to cover him up with more federal resources — and we were going to send four times the amount of federal officers here so that the people of Portland could have some safety.”

Standing atop the ICE facility alongside federal agents earlier in the day, Noem accused Wilson of cowardice, saying his hesitation had endangered both citizens and law enforcement.

“He’s going to have blood on his hands because he sat around and thought too long,” she said. “He’s too scared of the political ramifications of making a big decision to keep his city safe.”

Noem claimed the unrest surrounding Portland’s ICE operations was being driven by “professional terrorists,” echoing the Trump administration’s argument that organized agitators were targeting federal facilities nationwide.

“That’s my concern — you’ve got so many people here in Portland playing politics,” she added. “They don’t realize they’re up against professionals who know exactly what they’re doing.”

Wilson’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News or other media outlets’ requests for comment. However, the mayor later issued a written statement describing his meeting with Noem as “cordial but deeply concerning.”

“What the secretary saw today matches our reports: Portland continues to manage public safety professionally and responsibly, irrespective of the claims of out-of-state social media influencers,” Wilson said.

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