
Portland, Oregonâs city council unanimously passed a resolution on Wednesday designed to hamper the Trump administrationâs response to violent protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent months.
The legislation urges Democratic Portland Mayor Keith Wilsonâs officials to pursue legal action against federal agents accused of âunprotected/criminal use of forceâ against protesters, prohibit local police from helping agents respond to âlawful protest,â and take other steps to protect the ârightsâ 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 â violence that Portland officials omitted when announcing the billâs passage.
âI want to thank every Portlander who has peacefully protested, testified, and spoken out against the Trump administrationâs aggressive and distressing federal overreach,â Portland City Councilor Olivia Clark said in a statement. âWe 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.â
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 personâs arrest.
âThis summer, rioters in Portland have been charged for crimes including arson and assaulting police officers â this isnât a peaceful protest thatâs under control, like many on the left have claimed, itâs radical violence,â White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. âAnd last month, Antifa militants brought a guillotine to the ICE facility in Portland. President 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.â
Portlandâs 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 âtransparently report any known or reported federal deployments or enforcement actions related to protest activityâ 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 cityâs Office of Equity and Human Rights to investigate âthe impacts of known federal enforcement actions on historically underserved communities.â
Portlandâs bill also reaffirms its âsanctuaryâ 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 presidentâs attempt to revoke their federal funding over the policies.
The resolution, dubbed the Protect Portland Initiative, is largely inspired by Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnsonâs Protect Chicago Initiative to protect residentsâ ârightsâ against Trumpâs federal law enforcement, Portlandâs statement says.
âThe Trump administration is attempting to use Portland as a testing ground for their fascist agenda, and we must respond,â Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said. âIâm thankful to my colleagues for standing against these threats and setting an example for other cities around the country.â
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