Portland Mayor Demands ICE Depart After Federal Agents Gas Protesters
The mayor of Portland, Oregon, has issued a forceful demand for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to leave his city following a weekend incident where federal agents deployed tear gas against demonstrators. The protest, which included young children among the crowd, took place outside an ICE facility and was described by the mayor and others as fundamentally peaceful.
Chaotic Scenes at South Waterfront Facility
Witnesses reported that as thousands of marchers arrived at the ICE facility in Portland's South Waterfront district on Saturday, agents responded by launching tear gas, pepper balls, and rubber bullets into the gathering. Erin Hoover Barnett, a former reporter for OregonLive who was present, described a terrifying scene where the crowd, including parents with children in strollers and individuals using motorized carts, was forced into a chaotic retreat.
"To be among parents frantically trying to tend to little children in strollers, people using motorized carts trying to navigate as the rest of us staggered in retreat, unsure of how to get to safety, was terrifying," Barnett wrote in an email account of the event.
Mayor's Stern Condemnation and Ultimatum
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson characterised the daytime demonstration as peaceful, stating that "the vast majority of those present violated no laws, made no threat and posed no danger" to the federal officers present. In a strongly worded statement released on Saturday night, the mayor delivered a direct ultimatum to ICE personnel and those controlling the facility.
"To those who continue to work for ICE: Resign. To those who control this facility: Leave," Wilson wrote. "Through your use of violence and the trampling of the Constitution, you have lost all legitimacy and replaced it with shame." He further announced that Portland would impose a fee on detention facilities that employ chemical agents, vowing that the federal government "must, and will, be held accountable."
National Context and Federal Response
The Portland protest forms part of a wider wave of demonstrations across the United States opposing the Trump administration's immigration policies. Similar incidents have occurred in cities like Minneapolis, where federal agents have been involved in fatal shootings in recent weeks. In Eugene, Oregon, federal agents used tear gas on Friday against protesters attempting to enter a Federal Building, leading local police to declare a riot.
President Donald Trump addressed the situation via social media on Saturday, asserting that primary responsibility for policing protests lies with local law enforcement. However, he also stated he had instructed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to ensure federal agents remain vigilant in protecting government property. "Please be aware that I have instructed ICE and/or Border Patrol to be very forceful in this protection of Federal Government Property," Trump wrote, warning of severe consequences for any aggression towards federal officers or property.
Aftermath and Local Services
In the immediate aftermath of the Portland incident, the Portland Fire Bureau dispatched paramedics to the scene to treat those affected by the chemical agents. Portland police officers monitored the demonstration but reported making no arrests on Saturday. The mayor concluded his statement with a poignant rebuke, urging those responsible for the decision to use gas to "go home, look in a mirror, and ask yourselves why you have gassed children."
