Federal law enforcement officers arrested at least eight protestors on Thursday while they were attempting to reopen a Portland building belonging to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that had to shut down for over a week because of a continuing demonstration. Officers arrived at sunrise on Thursday and were able to successfully unlock the facility’s entrance, according to Federal Protective Service spokesman, Rob Sperling.
Sperling said that the aim of the arrival of the federal law enforcement officers was not to end the protest but to make sure that the building could be accessed by employees expected to go back to work next week. A boundary line was being held by officers between private and federal property, and round-the-clock security is likely to go on for some time, Sperling added.
The activists, who have been rallying to the group name Occupy ICE PDX – PDX being the airport code for Portland – want to see Immigration and Customs Enforcement abolished and an end to the zero-tolerance policy established by the Trump administration. The occupation started on 17 June, quickly growing in size to the extent that the building was shut down after three days, for safety reasons.
On Monday, officers entered the building to secure information and equipment and warned protesters that they risked arrest if they continued to block entrances.