‘Angered and stressed’: Oregon legislators press DHS about helicopters over Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Four Oregon legislators are questioning federal officials’ decision to send helicopters to Portland.

Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Maxine Dexter joined Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley in asking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Secretary Kristi Noem why DHS has continued to fly helicopters over the Rose City, whether the agency plans to minimize the noise, when the aircraft will leave and more.

The letter penned on Oct. 14 states that residents have seen the helicopters daily, for several hours a day, since at least Sept. 27. On that day and the day after, lawmakers claimed that the Port of Portland received more than 40 complaints related to the noise — more than four times the amount of complaints the Port received during the entirety of the previous fiscal year.

“Our offices have received a significant number of calls from constituents who are angered and stressed by the persistent noise, by the frequent disruptions from the helicopters, and by what they perceive as misuse of government resources,” Bonamici, Dexter, Wyden and Merkley wrote. “Constituents report that the disruptions from the helicopters have rattled buildings, interrupted their workdays, and kept them awake at night. Portland residents are understandably confused and frustrated by the ongoing presence of the helicopters.”

The hourly cost of flying the helicopters over Portland, whether they are owned and operated by the DHS and what other missions the aircraft has been used for are among the other questions that Oregon legislators posed to Secretary Noem.

State leaders said the helicopters have contributed to the “escalation of disturbances” near the local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, where several demonstrations have taken place in recent months. Additionally, KOIN 6 has reported that the helicopters have also frequented the inner-Southeast Brooklyn neighborhood.

Legislators have asked that DHS respond to their inquiries by Oct. 20.