Portland Mayor Demands ICE Vacate City After Agents Gas Protesters

Federal agents used tear gas, pepper balls, and rubber bullets on a crowd that included young children, drawing outrage from the mayor.

Feb. 1, 2026 at 5:55pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

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 protesters, including young children, outside an ICE facility during a weekend demonstration that the mayor described as peaceful.

Why it matters

The clash between protesters and federal agents in Portland is the latest in a series of confrontations between local officials and the Trump administration over immigration enforcement tactics. The mayor's strong rebuke and demand for ICE to leave the city highlights the ongoing tensions and debate around the role of federal immigration authorities in local communities.

The details

Witnesses said federal agents deployed the crowd control munitions as thousands of marchers arrived at the South Waterfront ICE facility on Saturday. The mayor said the daytime protest was peaceful, with the 'vast majority' of those present posing no threat, but federal agents still responded with force. The Portland Fire Bureau sent paramedics to treat people affected by the gas, though 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 weekend protest.

Erin Hoover Barnett

A former OregonLive reporter who witnessed the protest and described the federal agents' use of tear gas and other munitions against the crowd, including families with young children.

Donald Trump

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

Kristi Noem

The former Secretary of Homeland Security under the Trump administration.

Alex Pretti and Renee Good

Two Minneapolis residents who were killed by federal agents during recent protests against the Trump administration's immigration policies.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

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, and that the federal government 'must, and will, be held accountable' for the actions of its agents.

The takeaway

The clash in Portland highlights the ongoing tensions between local officials and the federal government over immigration enforcement tactics, with the mayor condemning the federal agents' use of force against peaceful protesters and demanding that ICE leave the city.