The General Services Administration is planning to install a new fence at Eugene’s federal building after a previous one was taken down in early July.

In a notice filed with the U.S. District Court of Oregon on Tuesday, the GSA said a “permanent security fence” will go around the employee parking lot on the north side of the facility.

A diagram submitted to the court shows the fence will surround the parking well on the northwestern corner at Pearl Street and 6th Avenue, but not block public access to the federal building’s courtyard areas.

The Eugene federal building has been a focal point of recent protests, largely against the Trump Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations since the president assumed his second term in office. The first fence was installed in late April after glass was shattered during a Jan. 30 protest, which Eugene Police deemed a riot.

The GSA is a defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Civil Liberties Defense Center, on behalf of six activists who said the first fence restricted access to the plaza and limited free speech. Barely two months after its installation, U.S. Circuit Court Judge Mustafa Kasubhai ordered it taken down, which contractors did overnight on July 2.

The GSA said it plans to have the new fence done by the end of the year, with funding secured by early September. The first fence cost nearly $270,000 to install. The agency did not include an estimated cost of the new fence in its court filing.

In its notice, the GSA acknowledged the ongoing litigation with its diagram of the pending fence as well as the contested one.

“On that diagram, the green line represents the security fence that was removed and is the subject of this litigation,” reads the GSA notice. “The red line represents the planned security fence around the parking well.”

The GSA also said that it’s notifying the U.S. District Court about its planned fencing project “to ensure there is no misunderstanding related to the pending litigation.”

The proposal is already facing criticism. Naphtali Renshaw is one of six activists represented in the lawsuit filed by the CLDC. She told KLCC that a fresh legal challenge could follow this latest fencing plan. She said it would disrupt the First Amendment-protected activity of observing law enforcement in public settings.

“As there are a number of local citizens who monitor the parking bay door, where ICE leaves to hunt neighbors in Eugene and Springfield,” said Renshaw. “And it’s where they return many times with neighbors, who are processed inside the field office.”

The GSA did not respond to a request for comment before this story’s publication.

Brian Bull is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/21/eugene-federal-building-new-fence-planned-not-blocking-plaza/