PPB Monitors Protest Activity, No Arrests Made

On Saturday, January 31, 2026, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) activated an Incident Management Team to monitor protest activity in the South Portland Neighborhood near the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building. PPB's available resources included the Rapid Response Team (RRT), Dialogue Liaison Officers (DLOs), Air Support Unit, sound truck, and Mobile Field Forces. The Portland Police Bureau is also grateful for the assistance of Portland Fire & Rescue.

At approximately 2:00 p.m., a large crowd gathered at Elizabeth Caruthers Park, 3508 South Moody Avenue. PPB DLOs were in the area to serve as liaisons and assist with facilitation of the free speech event. The crowd marched to the ICE facility. In the interest of public safety, PPB officers assisted with traffic control and helped drivers safely get around the march. Public safety and traffic alert information were sent out on PPB's Events Page on social media.

PPB officers monitored the gathering around the ICE building. They observed the deployment of irritant gas by federal law enforcement and facilitated medical treatment of patients by firefighters and paramedics summoned to the scene. PPB did not use any crowd control munitions during the protest.

During the gathering, officers were monitoring the situation when they learned of a confrontation between two men where one man in a wheelchair was knocked over. Officers immediately responded with an RRT medic (a firefighter-paramedic who is embedded with the team) and were treating the patient within seconds. An ambulance was summoned and the man was transported to the hospital with unknown injuries. Officers interviewed the men involved, witnesses, viewed video of the incident, and documented it in a police report under case number 26-30527. Under the circumstances, the investigating officers determined the appropriate course of action was to refer the case to the Multnomah County District Attorney for consideration of charges. No suspects are being sought.

No arrests were made by Portland Police. Since June 2025, the total number of arrests related to ICE protest activity is 86.

PPB does not engage in immigration enforcement as outlined in PPB Directive 810.10, but is still responsible for maintaining public safety and enforcing state laws. Chief Day's letter to the community and FAQ regarding immigration can be found here.

PPB sends out public safety announcements via our Events channel on X (formerly known as Twitter). For ongoing updates, follow our page here.

PPB will continue to monitor protest activity. While PPB's role is public safety and supporting constitutionally protected activity, part of our role is to address criminal acts. Officers may be seen in a larger group to make targeted arrests for specific crimes committed. PPB members may also investigate crimes and conduct follow-up investigations into criminal activity later and will forward cases to the Multnomah County District Attorney for prosecution when feasible. As a reminder, just because arrests are not made at the scene, when tensions are high, that does not mean that people are not being charged with crimes later. Information on PPB's Public Order teams can be found here.

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