PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — A large protest took place in South Portland today from Elisabeth Caruthers Park to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility.
The rally was made up of at least 17 labor unions in Oregon, including the Oregon Nurses Association, the local chapters of SEIU, Teamsters, Federal Unionists Network, and more.
The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) is actively monitoring the large gatherings, a spokesperson said.
While official crowd estimates have not been released, the bureau noted that attendance is well into the thousands.
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KATU crews on the scene of Saturday’s gathering reported the use of crowd-control munitions, possibly tear gas, near the ICE facility, likely deployed by federal agents.
The PPB clarified that they did not deploy any munitions. “PPB has observed munitions deployed near the ICE facility. That was another law enforcement agency; PPB has NOT deployed any munitions,” the bureau stated.
Malena Marvin, a protester, expressed what such gatherings signify to her, saying, “This is like the big moral question of our time. Are we gonna let secret police kill people right in front of us? Are we gonna let them take our friends and neighbors right out in front of us? Or are we gonna stand up and say, ‘that’s not okay, we don’t accept it.’ We won’t allow it to happen in our town.”
Marvin also commented on the turnout, stating, “I hope that ICE can see it and I hope they can feel it, that they’re not wanted here. That’s what these numbers say, what this crowd says, is we don’t want them, they’re not welcome. They should leave, they should quit their jobs and they should find something to do before prosecution comes and our era’s version of Nuremberg.”
Marvin continued, “I’m just thankful for the labor coming together, organized labor made this happen, and that’s how we organize as people and how we take our power back and I think this is only the beginning of what organized labor can do in Oregon.”
Recent public safety alerts from the bureau, regularly updated on social media, indicate that the crowd at Elisabeth Caruthers Park has spilled onto the streets, leading to the closure of South Curry Street between South Moody Avenue and South Bond Avenue..
PPB also announced on social media around 4:51 p.m. that the “irritant gas” has expanded around South Bancroft Street and South Moody Avenue, prompting the temporary closure of South Macadam Avenue. Traffic disruptions are expected to continue as the protest progresses.
The bureau said liaison officers in white uniforms and bike teams have been deployed to ensure public safety. “We have a large amount of police resources in place, and people should absolutely expect to see officers in the area offering facilitation and public safety,” a spokesperson stated.
Police reiterated that their role at the protest is to address criminal behavior and indicated that targeted arrests may occur when necessary.
All streets surrounding Elisabeth Caruthers are now blocked as the march continues to head to the ICE facility, with South Bancroft Street blocked at South Macadam Avenue, restricting vehicle access.
Protests show no sign of slowing down
Anti-ICE protests of various sizes have been ongoing for months in South Portland and elsewhere. At least a dozen protesters have consistently shown up surrounding the city’s ICE facility since the beginning of summer last year.
In all of 2025, however, only one protest in Portland had been declared a riot.
Protests in the city have ramped up even more since last year, especially after two people were shot by Customs and Border Protection officers in Portland in early January, and protests continued after other shootings by federal agents across the country, namely in Minneapolis, where the Trump administration had escalated immigration enforcement efforts.
Both local and federal law enforcement stated that the two people shot by CBP, identified as Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, had potential ties to with the transnational Tren de Aragua gang. The two are facing trial.
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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the shooting was in self-defense when the driver of a vehicle that the agents had pulled over tried to run them over.
One day prior to the shooting by CBP in Portland, a U.S. citizen by the name of Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
Weeks later, CBP officers in Minneapolis shot and killed Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen and ICU nurse with no criminal record.
The Trump administration had defended both of those shootings, citing self-defense.
The agent who fired his gun at Good claimed that she allegedly tried to ram him and other officers with her SUV.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that Pretti was shot after he “approached” officers with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. However, bystander videos show Pretti with a phone in his hand, and none appear to show him holding a visible weapon.
