Federal officers tussled with protesters in Portland after a crowd vandalized an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in the city. Police declared the assembly a riot and deployed tear gas.
Several hundred demonstrators marched to the ICE building on Wednesday night, where they proceeded to shine lights and lasers at federal officers inside the premises. According to a statement released by the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), the crowd began kicking and banging on the building’s doors, and tagged the government office with graffiti. The office’s windows were also damaged.
Federal agents exited the building and began to push the protesters back. Videos show them scuffling with protesters, who threw paint, rocks, and bottles at the law enforcement officers. Police fired pepper balls and set off smoke devices in an attempt to disperse the demonstrators.
Portland police declared a riot and deployed tear gas. The chaotic scenes led to clashes between officers and protesters.
Demonstrators later regrouped and set a mattress and other objects on fire, which they used to barricade a street.
Two arrests were made on charges of “interfering with a peace officer and disorderly conduct,” the PPB said in a statement.
The unrest comes a day after demonstrators attacked a county government office, lighting fires and smashing the building’s windows. The vandalism was condemned by city officials and law enforcement as “reprehensible.”
For weeks, the Oregon city has seen nightly protests that often descended into property destruction and clashes with police.
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