The mayor of Portland, Oregon publicly demanded that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leave the city following a weekend protest in which federal agents used tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets on a crowd of demonstrators. The mayor said the demonstration was peaceful, and he condemned the federal response as dangerous and unconstitutional.
Thousands of people gathered Saturday afternoon near Portland’s South Waterfront to protest U.S. immigration policy and federal enforcement actions. Witnesses described a large crowd that included families with young children who were forced to retreat when agents launched chemical irritants. A former local reporter who attended the rally said parents struggled to care for children in strollers as the crowd sought safety.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said most protesters were peaceful and posed no threat to federal agents. He called on ICE employees to resign and for the agency to leave the city entirely. In a statement he said that federal actions had stripped the government of legitimacy and replaced it with shame. He also announced that Portland will start imposing a fee on detention facilities that use chemical agents, a new policy aimed at holding agencies accountable for the effects of crowd control tactics on local neighborhoods.
Fire and emergency personnel treated people at the scene after the gas was deployed, and local police monitored the protest but did not make arrests at the demonstration on Saturday.
The event in Portland was part of a broader wave of protests in cities across the United States reacting to aggressive federal immigration enforcement measures under the current administration. In recent weeks, similar protests have erupted in Minneapolis, where federal agents were involved in fatal encounters, which fueled criticism and demonstrations.
President Donald Trump responded on social media by saying local law enforcement should police demonstrations in their cities but also reiterated that ICE and related federal agents were instructed to be vigilant in guarding federal property. Mayor Wilson’s stance and the city’s actions reflect growing tensions between local and federal authorities over immigration enforcement policies and the use of chemical agents to disperse crowds.
Quick Summary
- The mayor of Portland, Oregon, demanded that ICE leave his city after federal agents used tear gas and other measures on protesters at a rally outside an ICE facility.
- Thousands attended what city officials described as a peaceful protest, including families with children who were caught up in the chemical dispersal.
- Mayor Keith Wilson criticized the use of force, called for ICE personnel to resign and promised to impose fees on detention centers that use chemical agents.
- Local police monitored the protest without making arrests, and emergency services treated those affected by the gas.
- The confrontation is part of broader national protests over federal immigration enforcement, especially following recent fatal shootings during demonstration responses in other cities.