Portland Mayor Demands ICE Leave City After Federal Agents Gas Protesters

Witnesses say federal agents used tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets on peaceful demonstrators, including children.

Feb. 1, 2026 at 4:31pm

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The mayor of Portland, Oregon, has demanded that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leave the city after federal agents used tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets against a crowd of peaceful protesters, including young children, outside an ICE facility over the weekend. The mayor condemned the federal agents' actions as a "trampling of the Constitution" and said they have "lost all legitimacy and replaced it with shame."

Why it matters

The Portland protest was part of a series of nationwide demonstrations against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The mayor's demand for ICE to leave the city highlights growing tensions between local officials and federal authorities over the use of force against protesters.

The details

Witnesses said federal agents deployed tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets as thousands of marchers arrived at the South Waterfront ICE facility on Saturday. The mayor said the daytime demonstration was peaceful, with the "vast majority" of those present posing no threat to federal agents. The Portland Fire Bureau sent paramedics to treat people at the scene, but police made no arrests.

  • The protest took place on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
  • Federal agents in Eugene, Oregon, also deployed tear gas on protesters on Friday, January 30, 2026.

The players

Keith Wilson

The mayor of Portland, Oregon, who demanded that ICE leave the city after the federal agents' actions against protesters.

Erin Hoover Barnett

A former OregonLive reporter who witnessed the protest and described the federal agents' use of tear gas and other crowd control measures.

Donald Trump

The former U.S. president who posted on social media that he has instructed ICE and Border Patrol to be "very forceful" in protecting federal government property.

Kristi Noem

The former Homeland Security Secretary who was instructed by Trump to have federal agents be vigilant in guarding U.S. government facilities.

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What they’re saying

“To be among parents frantically trying to tend to little children in strollers, people using motorized carts trying to navigate as the rest of us staggered in retreat, unsure of how to get to safety, was terrifying.”

— Erin Hoover Barnett, Former OregonLive reporter

“To those who continue to work for ICE: Resign. To those who control this facility: Leave. Through your use of violence and the trampling of the Constitution, you have lost all legitimacy and replaced it with shame.”

— Keith Wilson, Mayor of Portland, Oregon

“Please be aware that I have instructed ICE and/or Border Patrol to be very forceful in this protection of Federal Government Property. There will be no spitting in the faces of our Officers, there will be no punching or kicking the headlights of our cars, and there will be no rock or brick throwing at our vehicles, or at our Patriot Warriors.”

— Donald Trump

What’s next

The mayor said Portland would be imposing a fee on detention facilities that use chemical agents against protesters. The federal government "must, and will, be held accountable," the mayor added.

The takeaway

The Portland protest and the mayor's demand for ICE to leave the city highlight the growing tensions between local officials and federal authorities over the use of force against protesters. This incident is part of a broader nationwide movement against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.