The U.S. Coast Guard says its rescue helicopter will be back for good at its facility at the Newport airport after being moved in October to North Bend.
Editor’s note: This story was updated Friday to identify the Homeland Security adviser on Thursday’s call and with additional comments from Sen. Ron Wyden to the Lincoln Chronicle.
By SHAYLA ESCUDERO/ Lincoln Chronicle
The U.S. Coast Guard is pledging to keep its rescue helicopter in Newport, Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said Thursday after its controversial move to North Bend triggered community outcry and a federal lawsuit.
Although the senators were quick to announce what they see as a victory, it’s unclear what the development means for the federal lawsuit that has a hearing scheduled Monday in Eugene.
The helicopter has been stationed in Newport for decades but in October was quietly relocated 90 miles to the south without the federally-required required notice and there are indications of a federal plan to build an immigration and customs enforcement facility at the city airport. With the impending Dungeness crabbing season, the sudden move raised immediate concerns over safety.
State and local political leaders and the nonprofit group Newport Fisherman’s Wives quickly sprang into action, filing lawsuits in federal court. U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken on Nov. 24 issued a temporary restraining order and told the Coast Guard to temporarily return the helicopter while the lawsuit challenging its removal proceeded.
But now Wyden and Merkley say the helicopter is permanently back after a call Thursday with Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, and Sean Plankey, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security adviser.
Earlier this year, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem unveiled Force Design 2028, a plan to expand the Coast Guard’s national security capabilities and tapped Lunday to serve as its acting commandant until he is confirmed for the role.
Plankey is a 13-year Coast Guard officer who has been serving as senior adviser to the secretary for the Coast Guard. Earlier this year, he was nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
The U.S. Coast Guard’s helicopter stationed in Newport takes off from the helipad at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Scott Easler)“The acting commandant assured me that they had returned the helicopter because of the court action, but they had intended to return it by the start of crab season anyway and it was back in Newport to stay,” Merkley said in a video posted on social media. “An assistant with Homeland Security that was on the call, fully backed up the Commandant’s statement.”
In a telephone interview Friday morning, Wyden told Lincoln Chronicle he was “encouraged” by the communication he and Merkley had with the two federal officials but that the issue would need continued vigilance and verification.
“We need to make sure that the promise is kept,” Wyden said.
Wyden said he will continue to ask questions and watchdog the Coast Guard for both the helicopter and possible immigration detention center. But Thursday’s conversation stuck to the topic of the helicopter, and the issue of the possible detention center wasn’t broached, Wyden told the Chronicle.
The commandment also said Thursday there were no plans to close its Newport air facility, a member of Wyden’s staff told the Chronicle. The helicopter would only be moved back to North Bend in the future if it needed repairs.
“This is a big win to keep fishermen as well as Oregonians and tourists visiting the Newport area safe when they are enjoying the Pacific Ocean,” Wyden said.
“I’ll keep watchdogging this Coast Guard commitment and battling against any move by the Trump administration to site an ICE detention facility in Newport or anywhere else on the Oregon Coast,” Wyden said. “But for today’s helicopter victory, huge credit goes to the Newport Fishermen’s Wives and local officials who sat down with me recently in town to press the Coast Guard to reverse its inexplicable and indefensible decision to move this helicopter more than 90 miles away.”
Members of Newport Fisherman’s Wives and Lincoln County officials declined to comment Thursday, citing the ongoing litigation.
Although the rescue helicopter has returned to the Coast Guard’s facility at the Newport airport, all of the support equipment and fuel was removed at the end of November.The helicopter has been consistently stationed at Newport’s air facility since Nov. 25, the day after Aiken granted the temporary restraining order, according to Newport officials. Operations have been similar to before the helicopter was removed, public information officer John Fuller said, although the helicopter is using the city’s fuel when they previously used their own fuel at the facility.
But the site has still seen some changes in the past few weeks, including the last of the large shipping containers trucked off the site.
Newport leaders have been watching vigilantly as the Department of Homeland Security’s interest in a detention facility hasn’t seemed to wane despite no direct confirmation from the department of its intentions.
Although military contractor Team Housing Solutions withdrew its inquiry about leasing property adjacent to the Coast Guard facility for a potential federal project, ICE job listings continued to be posted with Newport as the location. Most recently, the federal contractor called at least five hotels along the coast in search of up to 200 hotel rooms for a year to house personnel beginning as soon as Dec. 15.
- Shayla Escudero covers Lincoln County government, education, Newport, housing and social services for Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at [email protected]
It’s useful to recall that the “coast guard” developed from the Lifesaving Service, which originally launched wooden 8-man lifeboats to row out to rescue those in peril at sea, a custom carried over from England, where lifeboat rescues were made in Cornwall and the Scilly Islands.
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“The United States Life-Saving Service[1] was a United States government agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian efforts to save the lives of shipwrecked mariners and passengers. It began in 1848 and ultimately merged with the Revenue Cutter Service to form the United States Coast Guard in 1915.”
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“Traditional Scilly lifeboat rescues involved brave local crews launching in often treacherous conditions, saving lives from shipwrecks like the Arden Craig in 1911 and responding to large-scale disasters like the Suevic wreck in Cornwall (though Scilly crews were involved in Suevic rescue), using rugged, often open boats like the historic Guy and Clare Hunter, highlighting enduring community spirit and heroism from families with long histories of RNLI service.”
We are hearing that a local hotel has agreed to house ICE personnel, on the local community page in Waldport. I hope this is not correct! They definitely haven’t given up this program yet. Any confirmation of this story is appreciated, thank you Lincoln Chronicle so much for keeping us informed.