Portland, Oregon’s city council unanimously passed a resolution on Wednesday designed to hamper the Trump administration’s response to violent protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent months.
The legislation urges Democratic Portland Mayor Keith Wilson’s officials to pursue legal action against federal agents accused of “unprotected/criminal use of force” against protesters, prohibit local police from helping agents respond to “lawful protest,” and take other steps to protect the “rights” of Portlanders. At least 195 rioters have been arrested outside of the ICE facility since June, with suspects allegedly trying to break in or assault law enforcement — violence that Portland officials omitted when announcing the bill’s passage.
“I want to thank every Portlander who has peacefully protested, testified, and spoken out against the Trump administration’s aggressive and distressing federal overreach,” Portland City Councilor Olivia Clark said in a statement. “We do not want our neighborhoods overrun by chaos and confusion. We do not want this to turn into another Kent State tragedy. We do not want Portlanders feeling scared. These are not our values.”
The resolution passed the same day that the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced charges against a Portland anti-ICE protester for allegedly kicking and biting a federal officer and interfering with another person’s arrest.
“This summer, rioters in Portland have been charged for crimes including arson and assaulting police officers – this isn’t a peaceful protest that’s under control, like many on the left have claimed, it’s radical violence,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “And last month, Antifa militants brought a guillotine to the ICE facility in Portland. President [Donald] Trump is taking lawful action to protect federal law enforcement officers and address the out-of-control violence that local residents have complained about and Democrat leaders have failed to stop.”
Portland’s resolution demands that President Donald Trump walk back his plans to deploy National Guard troops to protect ICE, a move that currently faces court challenges.
The city should also “transparently report any known or reported federal deployments or enforcement actions related to protest activity” and maintain channels for residents to report violations of constitutional rights, the Wednesday resolution says. It surges several other steps to document alleged federal abuses, including directing the city’s Office of Equity and Human Rights to investigate “the impacts of known federal enforcement actions on historically underserved communities.”
Portland’s bill also reaffirms its “sanctuary” status that bans local authorities from coordinating with ICE on immigration enforcement. Portland joined other sanctuary jurisdictions in a lawsuit against the Trump administration in February, challenging the president’s attempt to revoke their federal funding over the policies.
The resolution, dubbed the Protect Portland Initiative, is largely inspired by Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Protect Chicago Initiative to protect residents’ “rights” against Trump’s federal law enforcement, Portland’s statement says.
“The Trump administration is attempting to use Portland as a testing ground for their fascist agenda, and we must respond,” Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said. “I’m thankful to my colleagues for standing against these threats and setting an example for other cities around the country.”
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