Several hundred people gathered outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland Sunday afternoon to protest the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to the city.
Federal agents armed with long-barrel firearms patrolled from nearby rooftops.
Families, including grandparents and children riding bikes, filled the streets alongside the longtime protesters clad in the “black bloc” style of ski masks and sunglasses who have been outside the Portland ICE building off and on for the past several months.
Chants and bucket drumming rang in the air during an afternoon demonstration that was raucous but largely free of confrontation.
Protesters gave speeches in front of the gates to the federal ICE building as a small number of federal agents paced behind them. Other protesters waved flags and signs and marched in small circles.
An armed escort of about two dozen agents would move into the crowd whenever vehicles passed through the street. Several members of Portland police were also present, mostly directing traffic.
Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump called 200 members of the Oregon National Guard into federal service for a 60-day deployment, according to a memo sent to Gov. Tina Kotek sent Sunday from the Department of Defense.
State and local leaders decried the decision publicly and challenged it with a federal lawsuit arguing the administration had overreached and acted unlawfully.
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
