ICE Protesters Face Off With Federal Authorities

PORTLAND, OR — Protesters encamped at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Southwest Portland awoke Thursday morning to a line of federal police armed with batons.

After nearly two weeks of demonstrations at the inconspicuous ICE building located at 4310 S.W. Macadam Ave., federal police on June 28 began dismantling portions of the protest camp that apparently touched federal property. Protesters lining what is otherwise public property were not affected.

Federal officials confirmed the arrests of eight people after the encounter. One other was detained temporarily after police saw what appeared to be weapons in the backseat of his car; the so-called weapons turned out to just be air soft guns.

According to federal spokespeople, the officers involved were only clearing the parts of the encampment that disrupted the facility's ability to conduct regular business. However, it's that regular business the protesters were trying to disrupt all along.

For the past 11 days protesters against ICE have been accumulating and adding to the camp, with some sources estimating upward of 80 individual tents setup along the bike path and railroad tracks that run alongside the ICE facility.

It was only a small group who first planted themselves near the facility on June 17. By June 20, their numbers had grown so much that ICE officials chose to temporarily close the entire facility as a safety precaution.

The closure evidently emboldened others who over the following eight days moved into the area and joined the protest.

After dismantling encampments located on federal property, federal police stood stalwart and stoic — facing down an unusually calm population of Portland protesters.

Later Thursday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler offered this statement:

“This morning, Federal Protective Service officers initiated an action to remove demonstrators from their property. Consistent with my direction, no Portland Police officers provided aid to federal police during this action.

Once on the site, Federal police blocked the roadway. Because motorists were suddenly unable to access the roadway, Portland Police officers arrived to assist motorists in identifying alternative routes around road closures.

I join those outraged by ICE actions separating parents from their children, and support peaceful protest to give voice to our collective moral conscience. The City of Portland does not enforce federal immigration law, and I have been clear that Portland Police will not be used to break up a nonviolent occupation on federal property of a federal agency that has its own police force.”

Image via Travis Loose, Patch