Federal officers tussled with protesters in Portland after a crowd vandalized an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in the city. Police declared the assembly a riot and deployed tear gas.
Several hundred demonstrators marched to the ICE building on Wednesday night, where they proceeded to shine lights and lasers at federal officers inside the premises. According to a statement released by the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), the crowd began kicking and banging on the building’s doors, and tagged the government office with graffiti. The office’s windows were also damaged.
Federal agents exited the building and began to push the protesters back. Videos show them scuffling with protesters, who threw paint, rocks, and bottles at the law enforcement officers. Police fired pepper balls and set off smoke devices in an attempt to disperse the demonstrators.
Here’s a line up. A few water bottles thrown at the armored men. #blacklivesmatter#protest#pdx#Portland#Oregon#BLM#acab#PortlandProtests#PortlandStrong#ICE#DHS#pdxprotestpic.twitter.com/eZmX6fMYlY
Federal agents clash with protestors outside ICE bldg in sw Portland at this hour after windows broken pic.twitter.com/Hn3z5ktUUE#KOIN6NEWS#PortlandProtests#BLMprotest
Portland police declared a riot and deployed tear gas. The chaotic scenes led to clashes between officers and protesters.
Portland: law enforcement use tear gas on Antifa rioters as they attack federal buildings tonight pic.twitter.com/GJsMzbEPKB
Demonstrators later regrouped and set a mattress and other objects on fire, which they used to barricade a street.
Chanting near lit mattress, S Gaines and Bond. pic.twitter.com/SS9u4MrwdU
Burning a table now pic.twitter.com/zLnZPFaW73
Two arrests were made on charges of “interfering with a peace officer and disorderly conduct,” the PPB said in a statement.
The unrest comes a day after demonstrators attacked a county government office, lighting fires and smashing the building’s windows. The vandalism was condemned by city officials and law enforcement as “reprehensible.”
For weeks, the Oregon city has seen nightly protests that often descended into property destruction and clashes with police.
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