Federal authorities announced they have arrested 28 people in recent months at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland for charges including assault on officers and destruction of property as President Donald Trump says he has sent troops to the city.
The arrests have been made amid protests outside the ICE field office in south Portland to oppose Trump’s mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. Though largely peaceful, in some cases, the protests have included clashes with law enforcement and the use of tear gas.
The Justice Department said on Oct. 2 that a Portland woman made her first appearance in court on a charge of felony assault on a federal officer, making her the 28th arrest at the ICE office since June 13. Katherine Meagan Vogel, 39, was accused of applying red paint to the driveway at the ICE facility and, while being detained and processed, hitting an officer in the jaw with a closed fist, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon said in a news release.
“Violence and property damage at the ICE building or any other federal building will not be tolerated,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott E. Bradford said. “If you assault a federal law enforcement officer or damage federal property, you will be arrested and federally prosecuted.”
Vogel has been released pending further court proceedings, the DOJ said. A federal public defender listed as representing Vogel in court records didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY on Oct. 3.
As the federal government cracks down on some U.S. cities, state and local leaders in Portland have said their city should not be next on the list and accused Trump of exaggerating the amount of unrest and violence.
“There is no insurrection, there is no threat to national security, and there is no need for military troops in our major city,” Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek said. “We do not need or want federal troops in Oregon, stoking fear, creating conflict and, frankly, escalating a situation that is under control.”
U.S. Border Patrol Agents detain a demonstrator during a protest outside of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in south Portland, Oregon, on Oct. 3, 2025.
Other arrests made at the Portland ICE facility include a person who allegedly shined a laser into an ICE officer’s eyes and was charged with assault; someone accused of picking up a smoke grenade off the ground and throwing it at officers, hitting one; and a woman who allegedly grabbed a U.S. Marshal by the hair, officials said.
“We’re going to get out there and we’re going to do a pretty big number on those people in Portland,” Trump said. He described them as “professional agitators and anarchists.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ICE protests lead to dozens of arrests in Portland, DOJ says
