PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump announced he was sending troops to Portland, protesters and ICE agents came face to face with minor clashes. KATU witnessed one get detained by officers.
In an early-morning post on Truth Social, Trump said he has authorized “full force” if necessary to protect “War ravaged Portland.”
In his post, Trump said the decision was made to protect the city and ICE facilities “under siege by ANTIFA, and other domestic terrorists.”
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump announced he was sending troops to Portland, protesters and ICE agents came face to face with minor clashes. KATU witnessed one get detained by officers.
In an early-morning post on Truth Social, Trump said he has authorized “full force” if necessary to protect “War ravaged Portland.”
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115276694936263266/embed
Saturday’s announcement is the latest move the president has made in deploying troops in cities and states run by Democrats.
READ ALSO | Oregon leaders urge peace as Trump confirms deployment of troops to Portland
In his post, Trump said the decision was made to protect the city and ICE facilities “under siege by ANTIFA, and other domestic terrorists.”
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An increase in federal agents was already witnessed on Friday. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson held a press conference Friday night, acknowledging the buildup and pushing back on the controversial deployment, calling it a “big show.”
“I want to be clear about the situation we face. We now have a sudden influx of federal agents in our city. We did not ask for them to come. They are here without precedent or purpose,” Wilson said.
KATU recorded one incident where an ICE officer, seemingly unprovoked, shoved a protester to the ground. It is unclear what was said, if anything, prior to the confrontation.
Instances of physical confrontation and loud noise into late hours of the night outside of the ICE building are why some area residents believe more federal troops should be brought into the area.
“Every night, there’s tons of protesters basically being vagrants on the street,” David Schmidt, a Portland resident said. “The people that live in all these buildings right here have hell to go through. They are making noise constantly, even when nobody from ICE is outside. So for hours, they would be out here just disrupting the public here that lives here.”
Others believe a greater presence of federal officers will do the opposite of protecting the peace, referencing to the protests across Portland in 2020.
“I just remember watching night after night, everything that was going on with the interactions between police and protestors, and I’m just worried that we’re going to see things blow up like they did in 2020,” Portland resident Ocean Hosojasso said. “It’s because our president and the federal government, they’re looking for a fight.”
READ MORE | Trump Confirms; mayor says there’s been an increase of federal agents in Portland
The move is not without precedent. The Trump Administration has deployed the National Guard and other active-duty troops to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. He has also threatened to deploy troops to several other cities, like Chicago and Memphis, Tenn.
The President has also ramped up his rhetoric against Portland in recent weeks, saying that living in Portland is “like living in hell.”
Some people protesting outside of the ICE facility said they are rallying to prove that statement untrue.
“I know that our city gets this loud and unfair reputation that ‘everything ‘s on fire,’ ‘everything’s a disaster,’ but you come here and it’s peaceful,” Hosojosso said.
The number of troops being deployed to the city and the overall objective are still unknown.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley warned the public that Trump would try to create chaos, according to reporting by the Associated Press. “Don’t take the bait,” he said.
“Our responsibility is to, yes, express our views. Yes, protest,” Merkley said. “But best done at a distance from these federal troops, wherever they might be and whatever they are doing, because their goal is to create an engagement, an engagement that will lead to conflict.”
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Trump previously threatened to send the National Guard into Chicago but has yet to follow through. A deployment in Memphis, Tennessee, is expected soon and will include only about 150 troops, far less than were sent to the District of Columbia for Trump’s crackdown on crime or in Los Angeles in response to immigration protests that turned violent with the troops’ arrival. Trump also sent Marines to Los Angeles.
Pentagon officials did not immediately respond to requests for information, according to AP.
A Politico article published on Saturday stated that the order to send troops to Portland “came as a surprise to many in the Pentagon,” and that many officials were not sure what the orders actually entailed.
The source said they expect the deployment to look similar to Los Angeles and Washington’s National Guard missions, which were focused on “supporting federal and local law enforcement,” mainly through logistical support.
A history of protests in Portland
Portland has been at the center of national attention in the past for long-running protests, some of which became violent, especially following George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police in 2020.
The Trump administration sent hundreds of agents at the time, including U.S. Border Patrol officers, to protect federal property from vandalism.
Recent protests have been peaceful and focused around the ICE detainment facility.
Earlier this month, the city of Portland stated it would issue a land use violation notice to the building after it was used to detain people overnight or for more than 12 hours, which is a violation of its conditional land use approval.
KATU crews reported a few protesters outside the ICE building on Saturday morning, all standing across the street.
“You can do something,” Bonnie Berg said outside of the ICE facility. ‘Show up. Put your body on the streets. Show people that you care about humanity. It makes a difference.”
The Trump administration claimed that protesters in Portland have threatened and assaulted federal officers this year, while a video surfaced late August showing a protester being assaulted by a Department of Homeland Security officer outside the building.
In response to a KATU inquiry to the White House regarding when troops would be deployed and what their tasks will be, a spokesperson responded with a timeline of different protests this year at the ICE facility, starting in early June.
Local officials respond
Portland officials have strongly opposed President Trump’s proposal to deploy federal troops to the city, arguing that such a move is unnecessary and could escalate tensions.
At a press conference held on Saturday, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek stated, “There is no insurrection. There is no threat to national security and there is no need for military troops in our major city.” She emphasized that while the Oregon National Guard is prepared to protect residents, it is not needed in Portland.
Mayor Keith Wilson echoed this sentiment, asserting, “The number of necessary troops is zero in Portland and any other American city.”
Both leaders criticized the use of outdated media coverage such as old protest clips circulating online to misrepresent the city and called for federal support in areas like education and infrastructure instead of military intervention.
They stressed the importance of peaceful protest and community support, urging residents to oppose the administration’s policies constructively. Wilson concluded, “We have a place at the table for everyone willing to lend us a hand and that should include the federal government.”
“Everybody has a right to peacefully assemble,” Hosojosso said. “Everyone has freedom of speech, and it’s your God-given duty to use those rights, and if you don’t use them, then your first amendment rights are going to be a trophy.”
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, representing Oregon’s First Congressional District, joined the call against federal troop deployment, describing it as a “gross abuse of power by the president.”
She noted, “Nowhere did I see one single indication that we need military troops here.” Bonamici highlighted Portland as a thriving community, stating, “It’s a place where here today we see the sun shining, people out in the streets, shopping in our stores, going to our amazing restaurants.”
Portland’s Chief of Police Bob Day reaffirmed the city’s commitment to peace and safety, “The men and women of the police bureau will continue to show up and to provide the highest level of service and safety to ensure peace for Portland, for all Portlanders.”
Day emphasized the city’s track record of peaceful protests and the bureau’s non-involvement in immigration enforcement.
Vanessa Sturgeon, representing the Portland Metro Chamber and the Downtown Portland Clean and Safe, expressed the business owner community’s opposition to federal troop deployment.
“Portland is a city on the rise,” she said. “We are working to tackle our biggest challenges together. We don’t always agree, but we do agree that we love this city and it does not need federal troops.”
“We don’t want our retail hospitality and vibrancy to be impacted like we see in Washington, DC,” she said.