In Portland, naked cyclists joined anti-ice particle protests for a rain-soaked ride
Several members of Thompson’s marching band, Banana Bloc, were caught in a cloud of pepper spray when federal officers gassed a crowd. The musicians affected by the clash were transported to receive emergency medical assistance.
Beate Weiss-Kroll, a naturalized German citizen who has lived in the United States for 30 years, looked on at the chaos as she covered her mouth and nose to protect against the gas.
“If it were not for the anti-fascist movement, Germany would be under the control of the Nazis,” she said, adding that she was “appalled” by the Trump administration’s use of federal law enforcement and its aggressive crackdown on immigrants.
Sunday’s demonstration, led by Holly Brown of the Portland immigrant rights group Contra Las Deportaciones, began with a short march from Elizabeth Carruthers Park to a nearby ICE facility. People chanted, “Immigrants are welcome here” and “We won’t put up with ICE.”
Reportedly, no arrests had been made as of Sunday evening Statement from Portland Police.
Outside the center, protesters carrying an “Abolish the Snow” sign confronted a man driving his truck inches away from them. The driver jumped out and shouted at the protesters not to touch his truck. The passenger rolled down her window to reprimand the protesters.
The tense standoff revealed what had been mostly peaceful protests marked by inflatable costumes and nudity until Sunday.
Anti-ICE protesters have called for the immigration facility to be closed, an idea the city appears to be considering.
Last month, city officials warned the building’s owner that Immigration and Customs Enforcement may be violating its conditional use permit by holding detainees longer than agreed upon.
The U.S. General Services Administration has been running the facility since 2011 as a processing center where immigration officials can check asylum seekers and immigrants. According to the statement, the federal government cannot hold detainees for more than 12 hours.
Mayor Keith Wilson said the agreement was repeatedly violated between Oct. 1, 2024, and July 27.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has made clear detention restriction commitments to our community, and we believe they have violated those policies more than two dozen times,” Wilson said in a statement. “I am proud of our team for conducting a thorough and thoughtful investigation and referring the matter to the next steps in the land use violation process.”
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement, did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.