Since June, individuals have staged protests at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility on South Macadam Avenue. According to the City of Portland, the purpose of the processing center is to detain immigrants for up to 12 hours and conduct routine check-ins with immigrants throughout their naturalization process. Though initially smaller in scale, the protests have flared up in response to the land use violation lawsuit filed by the city in September and President Donald Trump’s attempts to deploy the National Guard in Portland.
On Oct. 4, several Lewis & Clark students attended a protest organized by immigrant rights organization Portland Contra Las Deportaciones, which began in Elizabeth Caruthers Park before marching to the nearby ICE building. By 1 p.m., about 400 people were protesting, many of whom held signs, wore masks or other concealing clothing, and chanted phrases like “Hey hey! Ho ho! ICE has got to go! Hey hey! Ho ho! Sanctuary for all!”
The Mossy Log was present at the site of the protest and spoke to students as they left. The crowd included journalists, veterans, elderly people and mothers with children. A group of counterprotesters was also present, holding signs which read “God Bless ICE” and “Honk if you Like ICE.” By 1:20 p.m., ICE agents began to push the crowd back away from the building and the plaza in front of it, firing pepper spray and tear gas canisters. Agents allegedly took these measures without warning.
“On the loudspeaker (agents) announced that anyone on their property was subject to arrest, but they said that people were allowed to move to the sidewalk,” said Aurora Wade ’29, who attended the protest. “Within minutes, they tear-gassed us on the sidewalks anyway … The rubber bullets were crazy. They did not give a warning for deploying those, and I don’t think they were aiming them very low. Pepper spray was frequent and without warning … it was like an attack, it was not slow.”
According to a Use of Force memorandum from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) updated on Feb. 6, 2023, officers “shall use only the force that is objectively reasonable in light of the facts and circumstances confronting him or her at the time force is applied.”
On Oct. 6, KGW8 reported that Portland City Attorney Robert Taylor sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice where he accused the federal government of using excessive force. He claimed they violated the Fourth Amendment and that the DOJ Civil Rights Division failed in their duties to protect all citizens’ constitutional rights. Taylor claims they used this force against “otherwise peaceful demonstrators.”
These protests are in part a response to the ongoing lawsuit against the facility. Formal complaints filed on June 16 argued that the facility was violating their permit to operate in Portland by holding people longer than the 12-hour window. These complaints followed a petition of more than 18,000 signatures calling for the city to revoke the usage permits of the ICE facility. On Sept. 17, the City of Portland revealed that their investigation in response to this complaint found that the facility violated the authorized time limit in 25 instances between Oct. 1, 2024 and July 27. As a result, the facility is legally required to correct these violations.
If these violations are not corrected, the city can reconsider land use approval thereby preventing ICE from continuing to operate at that location. However, some Portland constituents argue that a local facility must continue to operate in order to maintain local immigration enforcement.
Since the protests began, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and federal agents have arrested numerous protesters on charges including assault and harassment. As of Oct. 15, the official Portland FBI X account has shared 195 total arrests and citations outside of the ICE facility since June. PPB shared in a press release on Oct. 13 that 50 arrests have been made related to nightly protests.
According to an executive order signed by Trump on Sept. 25, “riots in Los Angeles and Portland reflect a more than 1,000 percent increase in attacks on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.”
On Sept. 27, Trump posted on his Truth Social account: “ … I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists. I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”
In response, both Portland and Oregon officials have denounced these claims. In a statement released on Oct. 4, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said, “President Trump’s actions are an effort to occupy and incite cities and states that don’t share his politics, and I believe that we should expect him to continue to push the limits of his authority.”
As protests continue, the Trump administration has continued to support sending federal troops to Portland to act alongside ICE agents, stating that the city has become a “wasteland of firebombs.”
In a statement published on Sept. 27, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson discussed Trump’s intention to deploy federal troops to Portland.
“The number of necessary troops is zero, in Portland and any other American city. Our nation has a long memory for acts of oppression, and the president will not find lawlessness or violence here unless he plans to perpetrate it. Imagine if the federal government sent hundreds of engineers, or teachers, or outreach workers to Portland, instead of a short, expensive, and fruitless show of force,” he said.
This is a developing story. The Mossy Log will continue to provide coverage of the ongoing protests and federal action directed toward Portland.
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