Protesters chant outside of Portland City Hall, Jan. 8, 2026, in response to the shooting of two people by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in East Portland earlier in the day.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
The Trump administration released new details Wednesday about “Operation Black Rose,” a months-long federal immigration enforcement campaign in the Portland area, resulting in more than 1,100 arrests across Oregon.
The immigration operation began the same day President Donald Trump announced he would federalize and deploy hundreds of Oregon National Guard members to the city, over the objections of the governor, according to Todd Lyons, acting leader of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
It also included more than 100 federal officers, Lyons said, and ran between Sept. 27 until March 1. He said the operation was necessary because of Oregon’s decades-old sanctuary law, which prohibits local and state resources from being used in immigration enforcement.
“Such large-scale operations would be less necessary if sanctuary jurisdictions, like Portland, Oregon, cooperated with ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies in the execution of their statutory responsibilities,” Lyons wrote in a letter dated Wednesday and sent to U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
The senior immigration official was responding to a letter Democrats from Oregon’s Congressional delegation sent former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem prior to her firing.
“We write to express serious concern about the Department of Homeland Security’s excessive use of force and agents performing crowd control in Portland,” several of Oregon’s elected representatives wrote in an Oct. 16, 2025 letter to Noem. “Your federal agents weren’t invited, they aren’t needed, and their presence has fomented the very violence you claim they are there to prevent.”
FILE - Todd Lyons, senior official performing the duties of the director at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, listens during a Senate Homeland Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Washington.
Tom Brenner / AP
Protests outside the Portland ICE building have been frequent throughout the past year, often resulting in federal officers using crowd control weapons, such as tear gas, on protesters — both peaceful and those suspected or charged with crimes.
Six months later, Lyons’ response addressed concerns about federal officers’ use of force as well as how they identify themselves.
“While some ICE personnel may choose to wear masks for their own safety, they are required to identify themselves as immigration officers as soon as it is practical and safe,” Lyons wrote. “When operationally feasible, ICE coordinates with local officials when deploying chemical irritants.”
In addition to the 100 ICE agents, Lyons wrote “Operation Black Rose” was also aided by federal agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This story may be updated.
