Standing above Portland, Oregon, federal agents on the roof of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement building scan the crowd below where several dozen protesters have gathered. Agents are not members of the National Guard. These are forces that are already tasked with securing the building.
But that's not enough for President Donald Trump. In his latest series of norm violations, Trump has used the protests to justify the military's involvement in fighting crime, illegal immigration and what he calls an “invasion from within.”
Demonstrations at the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Portland turned violent at times. from Junebut Mr. Trump falsely declared on Sunday: “Portland is burning down.” Officials in the Democratic stronghold say city police have the protests under control and blame the federal government for the surge in tensions. The President called the protesters “rioters” and said he would like to consider using the Insurrection Act to circumvent court decisions preventing him from sending National Guard troops into the city.
Why did we write this
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Portland, Oregon, is the epicenter of protests and a legal battle over President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard. Inside the building, the Monitor sees both law enforcement and protesters grappling with security concerns and free speech rights.
Protecting the federal ICE facility and its personnel is the main reason the administration says it wants to station the National Guard in Portland. This is also the rationale Mr. Trump gave justify sending Guard troops to Los Angeles in June. However, providing such security at federal facilities has already been entrusted to a group within the Department of Homeland Security: the Federal Security Service (FSO).
In an interview with ICE's Portland field office, Chris Hayes, FPS assistant director of field operations, the law enforcement official gave a more balanced assessment of the situation – not alarmist, but saying that the security challenges facing his agency are real.
“Officers deal with extremely angry people every day and they are trying to keep this facility safe,” he says. “We saw attacks on officers… And at the same time, we had people on the sidewalks speaking their minds without violence.”
Interviews with Mr. Hayes and access to the building here provide insight into the work FPS is doing across the country to protect federal facilities and workers from potential harm. Mr. Hayes says FPS officers in Portland will “use that support as soon as we can” if Guard troops arrive. At the ICE building Sunday, wearing his dark blue uniform, he said he had no opinion on the temporary restraining order issued the night before by federal Judge Karin Immergut. A Trump-appointed judge in Oregon ruled that the administration could not send in Guard troops because “this country is under constitutional law, not martial law.”
At the ICE facility, the Monitor witnessed sporadic clashes between officers and protesters at the gate, during which agents apparently detained two people. Inside the building, the conference room had darkened windows and agents stood guard on the roof. Officers from non-FSIN agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons and Customs and Border Protection, were on site to control the crowd.
Meanwhile, protesters outside on Sunday wore pajamas and carried signs to express opposition to the Trump administration's campaign to enforce immigration controls and possible military intervention. As night fell, the crowd became even more rowdy.
Freedom of speech and safety are at stake
The ICE field office in South Portland, near the Willamette River, shows antagonism toward the immigration agency. “MOLOTOV TASIT ICE” is written in graffiti on the concrete edge of a square white building. One sign includes a photo and home address of a local ICE agent. The protesters left behind a fake guillotine.
The agency arrests immigrants when they show up to register at such field offices. The size of the demonstrations has fluctuated since June, from a handful of protesters to several hundred, according to court documents and local media reports. Officers occasionally fired irritants, such as pepper spray, into the crowd. The activity appears to be limited to about one city block and is much smaller than the racial justice protests in that city in 2020, which drew thousands of people.
In an Oct. 2 court filing, the Justice Department said protesters attacked federal law enforcement with “rocks, bricks, pepper spray, and incendiary devices,” damaged portions of property and obstructed the entry and exit of vehicles.
Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle/AP
The Federal Penitentiary Service is “on the verge of collapse,” Justice Ministry lawyers write. However, Mr. Hayes says, “I didn't have any problems with morale” in Portland.
Before Judge Immergut blocked the moves, the Pentagon said it was preparing to deploy 200 members of the Oregon National Guard – and possibly the National Guard of other states – to protect federal property and personnel.
President Trump said on Truth Social that the request for military assistance came from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. The Monitor asked DHS to confirm and clarify why the military, and not just additional federal law enforcement, is needed to protect the Portland site.
“President Trump is using his legal authority to direct the National Guard to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland after months of violent unrest in which officers were attacked and beaten by left-wing rioters,” Assistant Secretary of State Trisha McLaughlin said in a statement. She also called the protesters “domestic terrorists” who will not be allowed to attack law enforcement.
On Tuesday, Ms. Noem visited ICE's Portland office and met with Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and other local officials. She said Local media described her visit as intended to “ensure partnerships that will ensure the safety of our officers and allow us to enforce federal law.”
The presence of FPS officers at the ICE Portland field office predates the protests. FPS officers check visitors and control the entry and exit of vehicles through the gates.
Other federal law enforcement agencies will supplement the FPS's 20-plus field officers, Mr. Hayes said. The FPS also collaborated with a number of agencies during Dispersal of protests in 2020 in Portland.
FPS says it protects more than 8,500 federal installations across the country. The government shutdown did not impact the agency. It is funded by fees for its services and does not receive direct appropriations from Congress.
Mr. Hayes says there is some connection between the FPS and the Portland Police Bureau. The police department reported the crime 36 arrests in the area “since nightly protests began” four months ago. Federal authorities manage the ICE building and access road, and police are in charge of surrounding streets, police spokeswoman Terri Wollo Strauss said in an email.
Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle/AP
Local and federal allegations have intensified over the past week. Department of Justice Spokesperson, October 3. announced investigation into the police department over his actions in the arrest of Nick Sortor and the alleged attack by protesters on Kathy Daviscourt, members of the right-wing media who were filming the protests and verbal altercations with participants. District Attorney's Office fallen disorderly conduct charge against Mr. Sortor on Monday.
That same day the city of Portland replied The letter to the Justice Department said the federal government appears to be engaging in viewpoint discrimination by “providing special access to ICE facilities to social media 'influencers' who support the federal administration while violently targeting those who use social media to document federal government conduct.”
City officials also said the federal government appears to be engaging in “unconstitutional use of force” outside the facility. Social media footage Earlier this month, an FPS officer was seen on the street spraying a protester in the face at close range. According to a representative of the department, the FPS officer has been relieved of his post until the investigation into the incident is completed.
Eclectic crowd
Tensions seem to mostly erupt into chaos at night. On Sunday afternoon, a mostly peaceful crowd of several dozen people gathered.
The man, who identified himself as Shadow, says he has been protesting here for months “to denounce what ICE is doing – separating families.” He carries a pride flag and a worn red first aid kit to help fellow protesters.
“My advantage here is knowing that I’m helping people,” he says. “I don't get paid. Everyone thinks that we, as agitators, get paid.”
Many oppose military intervention. According to Angie Scripter, who lives in the neighborhood, before the announcement of the possible deployment of troops, the South Waterfront area was calmer. Now there are more people, and also “helicopters hovering every night.”
Sarah Matusek/The Christian Science Monitor
Vincent Hawkins, an emergency room nurse who has been protesting for months, says he was touched by a mother who didn't want to bring her child to the hospital for fear of immigration authorities. He supports “upholding the rule of law” and opposes government immigration enforcement tactics, including arrests in courthouses.
Mr. Hawkins says he is the least concerned about the potential deployment of troops because he is a former member of the California National Guard. It was activated in Los Angeles in 1992 during protests over the police beating of Rodney King. National Guard troops are “members of their community in a way that an active duty member may not be,” he says.
Mr. Hawkins sees violence by federal agents as a more serious problem. He almost lost his eye due to projectile during a protest in June. Undeterred, he continues to return with his megaphone.
“I'm not an anti-fafa domestic terrorist. I'm a homeowner, I'm a father, I'm a nurse and I'm someone who cares about my community,” says Mr. Hawkins, an American flag hanging around his neck.
Inside the building, FPS's Mr. Hayes reviews the First Amendment expressions of many of the protesters below on the street.
“We need to be able to talk and communicate and not just shout in each other's faces,” he says.
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