Portland police removed a caution tape barrier on Wednesday evening that had cordoned off blocks around the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in South Portland.
Officers put up the tape and barricades Tuesday and characterized them as “routine support” for a visiting dignitary when U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem came to town.
Federal officials asked Mayor Keith Wilson to create a permanent perimeter around the ICE facility. But by Wednesday afternoon, Wilson had ordered the barrier removed.
Wilson said he decided to do so after some members of the Portland City Council raised concerns that keeping the area restricted could further inflame tensions.
Protester Ren Purkerson, wearing a caution tape bow in her hair, said she was in a protester camp near the ICE facility on Tuesday when police asked people to clear the block. The 43-year-old lives in Salem and said she was forced to sleep on the street Tuesday night after the camp was cleared and the perimeter established. On Wednesday, the food, water and medical supplies donated to the group had been cleared out, she said.
“It’s a real slap in the face,” Purkerson said. Purkerson was arrested later Wednesday evening on an allegation of misdemeanor harassment, jail logs show.
Two others were arrested on suspicion of harassment, as well: 46-year-old Jonathan J. Lincoln of Portland and 19-year-old Bianca M. Barrett of Portland.
A few dozen protesters and counter protesters slowly made their way back to the front of the building on Wednesday night.
A fourth person was cited for menacing and released after brandishing a replica gun. The same person, 28-year-old Christopher J. Norman of Vancouver, was arrested again after allegedly pointing a blue laser at a Portland Police Bureau airplane.
Protests were largely mild as loudspeakers from the facility blared warnings that the building was closed and trespassers would be arrested.
Testimony suggesting the Oregon National Guard will protect protesters gains attention
A snippet from the testimony of Oregon’s top military leader Brigadier General Alan R. Gronewold to lawmakers last month is circulating online, drawing praise and criticism from opposite sides of the political spectrum.
Gronewold told lawmakers that Oregon soldiers would be trained in “protective crowd control.”
The Oregon National Guard defends America and protects Oregonians, Gronewold said Sept. 30: “And so by serving in this mission, they will be protecting any protesters at the ICE facility.”
Whether soldiers from the guard — from Oregon or any other state — will actually deploy outside the ICE facility remains to be seen.
[WATCH: Oregon general’s testimony: National Guard troops ‘will be protecting any protesters’]
Oregon Republicans strike a cautious tone about troop deployment
Oregon Republican leaders at the state and federal level say they understand why President Donald Trump is pushing to deploy National Guard members to protests in Portland but have stopped short of calling for military troops on the ground themselves.
Prominent Republicans argue they want Portland police to take more control of the situation.
“This issue could go away right now if Portland police, the leadership in Portland, enforced the law,” said Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr.
What we’re watching for today
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments Thursday morning on the question of whether to uphold a temporary restraining order blocking Trump from deploying Oregon National Guard troops in Portland.
The federal government has challenged U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut’s 14-day restraining order issued last Saturday blocking the Oregon troop deployment.
Immergut ruled then that the Trump administration lacked any legal justification to mobilize troops, noting no threat of rebellion existed in Portland, that local police can handle the sporadic protests at the ICE building and federal officers are still able to enforce federal laws.
U.S. government lawyers have asked an appeals court to put a hold on Immergut’s ruling. If they do so, then President Trump will be able to deploy National Guard members to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland as the government’s full appeal is pending.
[WATCH LIVE at 9 a.m.: Appeals court to hear arguments in Oregon National Guard case]
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