Portland mayor demands ICE leave city after federal agents gas protesters

The mayor of Portland, Oregon, has demanded that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leave the city after federal agents deployed tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets against thousands of demonstrators at the South Waterfront facility.

The confrontation occurred on Saturday as protesters arrived at the site. Erin Hoover Barnett, a former reporter for OregonLive who participated in the demonstration, said she was approximately 100 yards (91 meters) from the building when individuals who appeared to be “two men with rocket launchers” began firing gas into the crowd.

“It was terrifying to be among parents trying frantically to care for small children in strollers, people in motorized wheelchairs trying to navigate the way out, and others who didn’t know how to reach safety as they retreated,” Barnett wrote in an email to OregonLive.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson characterized the daytime demonstration as peaceful, stating that the “vast majority of those present violated no laws, made no threat, and posed no danger to federal agents.”

In a statement released late Saturday, Wilson directly challenged the federal presence. “To those who continue to work for ICE: Resign. To those who control this facility: Leave. Through your use of violence and the trampling of the Constitution, you have lost all legitimacy and replaced it with shame,” he said.

The Portland Police Bureau reported that the Portland Fire Bureau dispatched paramedics to the scene to treat those affected. While city police officers monitored the gathering, they made no arrests during the Saturday events.

The Portland protest is part of a wave of nationwide demonstrations against the Donald Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Similar protests have erupted in cities like Minneapolis, where federal agents recently killed two residents, Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

In Eugene, Oregon, federal agents deployed tear gas on Friday after protesters attempted to enter the federal building near the city center. Local police declared a “riot” and ordered the crowd to disperse.

President Trump addressed the unrest on social media on Saturday, asserting that while local law enforcement is responsible for overseeing protests in their respective cities, he has instructed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for federal agents to remain vigilant in protecting US government facilities.

“Please let it be known that I have instructed ICE and/or the Border Patrol to be very tough in the protection of Federal Government Property,” Trump wrote. “Our officers will not be spat in the face, our cars will not have their lights punched or kicked out, and no stones or bricks will be thrown at our vehicles or our Patriot Warriors. If that happens, those individuals will face equal or greater consequences.”

Mayor Wilson announced that Portland will impose a fee on detention facilities that utilize chemical agents.

The mayor emphasized that the federal government “must and will be held accountable.” He added, “To those who continue to make these sickening decisions: go home, look in a mirror, and ask yourselves why you are gassing children.”