U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem plans to visit Portland on Tuesday, according to city officials.

Conservative commentator Benny Johnson first announced Noem’s visit in a social media post, as first reported by KATU.

“Portland is a city overrun by leftist terrorists,” Johnson wrote in the post. “@sec_noem will be making a strong statement that terrorists will NOT run our streets in America.”

Portland city officials said they did not have details on Noem’s agenda while in the city. Homeland Security and Oregon State Police officials did not immediately return a request for comment on the secretary’s plans. The Portland Police Bureau will be among the agencies assisting with security details.

“In the interest of public safety, Portland Police will provide the same routine support they would for any visiting dignitary,” a statement from the city of Portland said Tuesday.

DHS has been focused on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in South Portland for months due to protests there that often draw just a few dozen people, but at times have seen hundreds show up to demonstrate against President Donald Trump’s push for more aggressive deportations and immigration law enforcement. In reaction to some of those protests, federal officers have used crowd control weapons like tear gas and pepper balls on demonstrators, inflaming tensions.

Since the president’s focus on Portland, counter-protesters aligned with ICE and the president have had a more frequent presence as well.

Portland city officials, business interests and residents have pushed back on the White House’s claims that the city is a “war zone” due to protests largely contained to the sidewalk in front of the ICE facility.

Portland was thrust into the national spotlight over the weekend when the Trump administration attempted to deploy the Oregon National Guard into the fray. That effort was stopped by a federal judge who said there were no conditions in Portland that warranted the involvement of Oregon military personnel. The president then attempted to deploy California and Texas National Guard members to Portland - an effort that drew further ire from U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut and another court order halting the measures.

"Recent court decisions have affirmed that Portland does not need federal military intervention, and that our local public-safety approach stands on firm legal ground‚" the city said in it’s statement Tuesday.

This story may be updated.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/07/homeland-security-security-kristi-noem-portland-visit/