A federal judge in Eugene has given the U.S. Justice Department until Oct. 23 to approve a settlement with Newport over the possible construction of an immigration detention center in the Oregon coast city. The agreement, reached more than six months ago, is intended to keep a federal detention facility out of Newport or require advance notice if the federal government renews its interest in building one there. The city sued the federal government in December, seeking to block U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from opening a temporary detention center. At a status hearing Friday, Justice Department attorney Sean C. Duffy told U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken the agreement had been sent to the Assistant U.S. Attorney General’s office for approval from two officials. He attributed the delay to an employee’s bereavement leave, vacations and a recent hire. “It’s not what we wanted, but it is progress,” Aiken said. Newport’s attorney, Keith A. Ketterling, disputed that characterization and asked the judge to set a firm deadline. He said the agreement had been pending for more than six months and compared the government’s explanations to “the dog ate my homework.” Aiken said discovery in the case will begin the week after the deadline if senior Justice Department officials have not approved the settlement. She said she hoped the deadline would help make the agreement a priority. The dispute follows federal officials’ earlier consideration of a temporary detention center at a Newport air facility. The administration abandoned that plan after a proposal to relocate a Coast Guard helicopter to make room for the project prompted public opposition. The federal government has argued that Newport’s lawsuit should be dismissed because ICE has no present intention to build a detention facility in Newport or elsewhere in Lincoln County. Oregon has joined the case in support of the city. Environmental groups Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition and Cascadia Wildlands also intervened, seeking to ensure any federal facility would undergo environmental and land-use reviews.