Tense demonstrations outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland were declared a riot Saturday as federal officers once again faced off with protesters.
Officers with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security detained at least one person after demonstrators used objects to break through a door at the building.
The Portland Police Bureau said early Sunday morning that its officers arrested three people through the course of the night.
Federal officers guard the ICE facility in Southwest Portland, Ore., on June 14, 2025. The demonstration, which was declared a riot by the Portland police, saw numerous confrontations between protesters and federal officers, with repeated use of crowd control munitions.
Troy Brynelson / OPB
The gathering at the ICE building came as a sharp contrast to the numerous peaceful protests that took place across the state earlier on Saturday.
Tens of thousands of people filled Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland as part of the nationwide “No Kings” protest. The march was organized in opposition to the Trump administration’s actions and policies, particularly the increase in immigration enforcement. It coincided with a military parade taking place in Washington D.C., and President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday, on Saturday.
Related: ‘No Kings’ rallies draw thousands across the Pacific Northwest
The ICE building has been the site of persistent protests in Portland since Trump took office, but the demonstrations have escalated over the past week, spurred by Trump’s decision to deploy thousands of National Guard officers and hundreds of U.S. Marines to Los Angeles in response to protests there.
Late Saturday, after the “No Kings” demonstrations had largely concluded, protesters in Portland clashed with federal officers outside the ICE building. Groups chanted slogans and taunted officers, and at times threw objects — mostly water bottles and at least one rock — at the building.
DHS officers shot crowd control munitions from the roof and from a driveway entrance to the facility, further escalating tensions as the protest continued into the evening.
At one point, protesters attempted to force their way into the facility, eventually breaking through a glass door with a pole-like object. Protesters then moved back up the street as federal officers wearing tactical gear stepped out to guard the entrance, firing tear gas, flashbangs and acoustic weapons.
The chemical munitions lingered in the air, coating several surfaces near the building.
Related: Portland police square off with protesters overnight as ICE demonstrations intensify
DHS officers, including some that came in from out of state, detained at least one person outside the building. It was not immediately clear who that person was or if they were charged with a crime.
Officers with the Portland Police Bureau arrived after, declaring the demonstration a riot shortly after 6:30 p.m.
Portland police said they responded to the scene in part to guide emergency services into the building for a federal officer who said they had been injured. Police told the crowd not to interfere with the medical personnel and declared a riot shortly after.
“As the situation stabilized, PPB learned the federal officer did not require medical treatment,” the bureau said in a written statement early Sunday morning.
Federal officers arrest a protester outside the Portland ICE facility. Earlier on, a small group of demonstrators broke through the front door to the building.
Troy Brynelson / OPB
Over the evening, a back-and-forth between federal officers and protesters developed.
During stretches of calm, the crowd would move toward the ICE facility. Some briefly danced to music played over a small speaker, as they kicked empty tear gas canisters across the asphalt.
Department of Homeland Security officers deploy crowd control munitions, including tear gas, at a demonstration outside the Portland ICE building on June 14, 2025.
Conrad Wilson / OPB
As demonstrators got closer, DHS officers would use tear gas to move them back.
Portland police said the protesters they arrested over the course of the night face a variety of charges, including attempting to assault officers, theft and driving while intoxicated.
The agency said it only intervened with criminal behavior and does not assist with federal immigration enforcement. It also stated that more arrests may come as a result of the protest.
“Just because arrests are not made at the scene, when tensions are high, that does not mean that people are not being charged with crimes later,” Portland police said in their statement.
On the facade of the ICE building, demonstrators put up a sign that reads “Free OJM.”
O-J-M is the pseudonym of an asylum seeker who was arrested by ICE officers on June 2. O-J-M, who is trans, was detained by federal officers at Portland Immigration Court, where she was attending a mandatory hearing in her asylum case. She was later moved to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington.
Prior to Saturday’s broader demonstrations, federal workers were observed boarding up windows at the ICE building.
