De-Portland (Portland nickname)

The city of Portland acquired the nickname “De-Portland” or “Deportland” (“deport-land”) in 2000 when several news articles stated that the Portland International Airport deported or jailed many travelers, especially those from Japan and other Asian countries. The “Deportland” nickname is still remembered, but has been seldom used since the publicity in 2000.
 
   
History.com
Portland’s Many Names (2:08)
Stumptown? Rip City? De-Portland? City of Roses? This video clip looks at some of the more unusual and colorful nicknames for the city of Portland, OR.
 
29 April 2000, Lawrence (KS) Journal-World, “INS wants to improve ‘Deportland’ image,” pg. 7A, col. 1:
PORTLAND, ORE. (AP)—Portland International Airport has gotten a bad image over the past year for an extremely high rate of deporting—and sometimes jailing—business people from Japan and other countries without proper visas.
 
U.S. immigration officials, concerned that the city’s reputation as “Deportland” is insulting Asian business and hurting trade with Oregon companies, met Thursday with international and local officials to try to solve the problem.
 
New York (NY) Times
Besmirched ‘Deportland’ Wrestles With the I.N.S.
By SAM HOWE VERHOVEK
Published: August 31, 2000
’‘Monstrous’’ is the word used by Portland’s mayor, Vera Katz. The executive director of the Port of Portland says the city’s reputation has been tarred by ‘‘Gestapo-type actions.’’ A state senator here says the conduct in question is ‘‘racist and xenophobic.’’ And United States Senator Gordon H. Smith, a Republican, put it this way today, ‘‘We don’t want Portland to be known as ‘‘Deportland.’‘
 
All four are talking about the conduct of the local branch of the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service. The furor has been fanned by the recent strip-search and two-night jailing of a Chinese businesswoman who had landed here on her way to New York. But public officials were already concerned that immigration agents were detaining or deporting foreign travelers at a much higher rate than at other West Coast airports.
 
AsianWeek
The INS of ‘Deportland’
By Associated Press
September 28, 2000
Treatment of foreign travelers scrutinized
By Tara Burghart & William McCall/AP
In a letter sent to Attorney General Janet Reno, Gov. John Kitzhaber and other Oregon officials on Aug. 23 accused immigration inspectors of treating foreigners unfairly at Portland International Airport and demanded a federal investigation. In a quick response, Johnny Williams, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service Western regional director, said on Aug. 24 that he will meet with politicians and INS officials this week to discuss the recent problems.
 
The appeal came after Guo Liming, a Chinese businesswoman, was jailed for two days before her passport was found to be authentic. The incident was the latest in a series of problems with the handling of international visitors at the airport, where inspectors reject a far higher percentage of foreigners than at other West Coast airports.