ICE detains 3 workers at closed McKay Park construction site, Salem officials say
This story was first reported by the Statesman Journal.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered a closed construction site at McKay Park in northeast Salem on the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 9, and detained three people working on park improvement projects, city officials told the Statesman Journal, which broke the story in an exclusive report by Whitney Woodworth and Dianne Lugo on Thursday.
City leaders said the three worked for a subcontractor, Andres Landscaping, and that the city had no advance notice of the enforcement action, the Statesman Journal reported. The city has not released the names of the people detained.
What the city says happened
"ICE agents entered the closed construction site and proceeded into the active work area, which is not open to the public," city spokesman Rob Layne said in an Oct. 16 statement, according to Salem Reporter. Salem Reporter said the detentions were described in a report from a subcontractor to the city, and that the fence to the site was unlocked, as is typical for active worksites.
Layne told the Statesman Journal the city would not have let agents in without a court order:
"Consistent with Oregon's Sanctuary Promise Laws, the City would not grant access to City-owned or City-controlled property for immigration enforcement purposes without a judicial warrant or court order signed by a judge. The City is contacting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to better understand the circumstances of the incident and to determine what legal process, if any, was used to access the closed construction site."
Council reaction
Salem City Councilor Mai Vang condemned ICE's actions at the council's Oct. 12 meeting and in an interview with the Statesman Journal, the paper reported. Vang said the council was updated after the incident and told city officials would not have granted access to the park.
What we don't know yet
As of Saturday morning, Willamette News had not found a public statement from ICE or the Department of Homeland Security about the McKay Park detentions. It is not publicly known whether agents had a warrant, where the three workers are being held, or what happens next in their cases. The city has not said what DHS told it in response to its inquiry.
The McKay Park project
McKay Park sits at 2755 Hollywood Drive NE, next to McKay High School. The city's site plan application says the upgrades are paid for by the community improvement bond Salem voters approved in November 2022.
According to a city construction update published in June by Right Now Oregon, crews are adding expanded concrete paths, a picnic shelter, a pad and utilities for a future food truck and two prefabricated restrooms, and refurbishing the two soccer fields next to the high school with new drainage, irrigation and natural grass. That update said work was expected to wrap up by the end of November, with the east parking lot closed to the public during construction.
A tense week in Salem
The McKay Park detentions came the day before ICE agents used tear gas on a crowd that had blocked federal vehicles near Lancaster Drive NE and Sunnyview Road on Oct. 10, as we reported. Two days later, Gov. Tina Kotek reminded state agencies and local police that Oregon's sanctuary law bars them from helping federal immigration enforcement. Her office cited reports of at least 45 detentions in Oregon since Oct. 6, KATU reported.
Also on Oct. 12, about 150 Salem-Keizer high school students walked out during lunch to protest ICE activity in the area, the Statesman Journal reported. The walkout was organized by students at McKay High School.
Oregon's sanctuary law
Oregon's sanctuary law dates to 1987. Under it, the city says, Salem does not enforce federal immigration law or help federal agencies do so, and city money, staff and equipment cannot be used for that purpose. The city also notes on its immigration resources page that federal law bars it from interfering with federal immigration enforcement. The Salem City Council declared a state of emergency over the effects of federal immigration enforcement in December 2025.
Sources
Statesman Journal: ICE detains 3 construction workers at Salem park, Exclusive, by Whitney Woodworth and Dianne Lugo (Oct. 16, 2026)
Salem Reporter: ICE detains three workers at McKay Park, by Abbey McDonald (Oct. 16, 2026)
City of Salem: Immigration resources
City of Salem: McKay Park site plan review, case 25 107594 00 PLN
Right Now Oregon: Summer construction projects to make improvements across Salem (June 30, 2026)
KATU: Gov. Kotek reinforces Oregon sanctuary law after ICE actions in Salem (Oct. 12, 2026)
Statesman Journal: Salem-Keizer students walk out to protest recent ICE activity (Oct. 12, 2026)
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