Portland is once again at the epicenter of a confrontation between federal authorities and local leaders, this time over escalating violence targeting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons issued blunt warnings Wednesday, describing nightly clashes with Antifa-linked groups who have turned protests outside Portland’s ICE facility into pitched street battles.
“It’s been a consistent battle every night with Antifa in Portland,” Lyons told America’s Newsroom. “We’ve called on local and state officials to help, but we just haven’t seen the help.”
According to Lyons, ICE officers have faced projectiles, bats, shields, and even chemical grenades hurled by demonstrators. “So it’s not a peaceful situation,” he said.
Last night this guy was telling federal officials “don’t f*cking touch me bitch, I’ll f*cking take you out”
Tonight, he got arrested by those same officials and is currently inside of the Portland ICE facility shaking like a leaf: https://t.co/s4mCPFrVrq pic.twitter.com/t8Gx6Iz4PQ
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) October 2, 2025
The situation has taken on a new urgency after a deadly attack in Dallas on September 24, when a gunman opened fire on an ICE facility, killing two detainees and injuring another before taking his own life. Investigators say shell casings recovered at the scene were scrawled with the phrase “ANTI-ICE.”
President Donald Trump responded by announcing the deployment of 200 National Guard troops to Portland, vowing to secure ICE facilities and personnel. In a statement on X, Trump directed the Department of War to “provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”
Lyons confirmed that ICE is actively planning for the Guard’s arrival. “They’re planning right now… we’re prepared to go ahead and protect our men and women of ICE,” he said.
NEW: Federal agents at the ICE building in Portland just arrested a man they said they had a BOLO out on after Feds say he dumped red paint on the federal building property last night. Feds have pics of him afterwards. He is now visibly trembling in the intake area w/ agents. pic.twitter.com/GgOk3S2CeS
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) October 2, 2025
But Oregon’s leadership is digging in its heels. Gov. Tina Kotek and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson blasted the president’s plan, insisting the state can handle its own affairs. Kotek even filed a federal lawsuit to block the Guard deployment, calling it “unlawful” and unnecessary. “In my conversations directly with President Trump and Secretary Noem, I have been abundantly clear that Portland and the State of Oregon believe in the rule of law and can manage our own local public safety needs,” Kotek wrote on X. “There is no insurrection. There is no threat to national security.”
The battle lines are clear: the federal government sees nightly assaults on ICE officers as evidence of organized domestic terrorism requiring direct intervention. Oregon’s leaders frame the issue as local unrest exaggerated for political gain, painting Trump’s deployment as federal overreach.
