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A peaceful march through downtown Portland against President Donald Trump and his administration drew about 50,000 people Saturday—but hours later, a smaller, breakaway protest at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility turned chaotic, with federal agents deploying tear gas and less-lethal rounds as demonstrators shattered the glass of the building’s entrance and formed shield walls in the street.
Portland police declared a riot and arrested three people by the night’s end, bringing the total arrested near the ICE building this week to 16. While the scale of the conflict was a fraction of the size of the larger march, it drew the attention of U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who said four federal agents were injured.
On Sunday, Mayor Keith Wilson issued a statement saying that Portland police had learned of injuries to three federal officers, but none was severe enough to require medical treatment or transport.
“Portland has not requested and does not require the intervention of the National Guard,” he added. “Deploying military troops to the heart of an American city, as the administration has in Los Angeles, is an unwarranted, unprecedented, and unconstitutional action.”
The mayor’s statement hinted at how the frenzied scene at ICE had overshadowed the peaceful rally earlier in the day, especially in conservative media.
By the time protesters who branched off from the larger march arrived at the ICE facility Saturday evening, agents were already meeting demonstrators with less-lethal munitions, and the front facing part of the building toward South Macadam Avenue was already covered in graffiti that read “FUCK ICE,” “ICE OUT OF PDX” and “BRING THEM HOME.”
Protesters have maintained a steady presence outside Portland’s ICE facility throughout the week, following the news that ICE agents had begun making arrests of asylum seekers at Portland Immigration Court. Nationally, fallout from sweeping federal immigration raids has sparked mass demonstrations and led President Trump to send in the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles.
Protesters arriving Saturday afternoon were met with tear gas, pepper balls, flash-bangs and green and sometimes pink smoke. The Oregonian identified the smoke as CS gas, a chemical nerve agent that former Mayor Ted Wheeler banned Portland police from using in riot control in 2020.
At least two agents were staged on the roof of the facility, occasionally shooting pepper balls and less-lethal munitions at protesters.
A voice projected from the intercom systems of the facility could be heard saying that any action on private property would be met with an arrest. The sound of an alarm rang in the background over the chanting of the crowd.
Demonstrators chanted “Chinga la migra!” at the ICE facility and gathered in a chant telling the agents staged on the roof to “Jump! Jump! Jump!”
Protesters hurled tear gas canisters and other projectiles back at ICE agents. People formed a makeshift shield wall from items such as particle board and doors around 5 pm at the front entrance of the ICE facility. ICE agents responded with nonlethal munitions. Protesters shot back with fireworks and water bottles.
Protesters built a makeshift ram and smashed it into the facility’s front entrance, shattering the glass entryway and doors.
Portland police declared the gathering a riot shortly after 6:30 pm.
After the entrance was damaged, ICE agents responded by staging a perimeter just outside the doorway and arrested at least one demonstrator who was tackled to the ground by multiple agents. The Portland Mercury reported that at least one person demonstrating against ICE was injured badly enough to be taken to the hospital.
Officers reported that criminal activity had begun as soon as they arrived on the scene, prompting the deployment of bike units, rapid response teams, and an air support unit.
Two additional arrests were made later in the night, according to a press release shared at 1:59 am, including one involving a person accused of throwing a rock at the ICE facility and another found moving traffic control devices. Police said their presence on bikes sometimes escalated tensions, leading officers to disengage at times.
The bureau emphasized that the arrests were related to criminal activity, not protected speech, and said further charges may come through follow-up investigations.
By 9 pm, Portland police declared the gathering was no longer a riot.
Early today, the Department of Homeland Security said on X that four federal agents were injured and included a message from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
“Secretary Noem’s message to the rioters is clear: you will not stop us or slow us down. ICE and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law,” DHS wrote in a social media post. “If you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Until today, the Homeland Security social media account had focused almost exclusively on the unrest in Los Angeles. The only other city the agency had specifically called out for protesters’ actions was Peoria, Ariz.
Mayor Wilson put out his statement three hours after Noem’s remarks were posted. “If we witness federal abuse following this incident or any other pretext,” he wrote, “we will bring it to light, take legal action, and take the fight to federal courts, where we will prevail.”