Federal officials dressed in riot gear arrested eight protesters camped out in front of Portland, Oregon’s, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on Thursday.
Officials told KATU that the officers with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had taken several demonstrators into custody, including one man who drove up to federal officers and failed to obey commands from law enforcement.
The man got out of his vehicle with his hands in the air and surrendered his keys to law enforcement.
Protesters attempted to create a human chain in front of the federal facility’s driveway, but eventually cleared the way to cooperate with law enforcement. Several protesters had their hands in zip ties, KATU reports.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon issued a statement Thursday saying that federal officers look “law enforcement action” to reopen the Portland ICE facility on Southwest Macadam Avenue.
Protesters with the group Occupy ICE had been camping out in front of the facility for more than a week to call for abolishing the immigration enforcement agency in efforts to stop the deportations of people who illegally cross the U.S. southern border.
The demonstrators’ encampment forced Portland’s ICE office to close its doors temporarily because officers could not access the building.
Federal agents issued notices to the Occupy ICE activists on Monday warning them that they must abandon their encampments or face arrest.
DHS officers handed out the notices to the open borders activists, but the protesters refused to take the notices and ripped them to shreds.
Federal officials say they did not try to remove campers located at nearby sites off federal property and only cleared the driveway and entrances to Portland’s ICE facility so it could reopen.
Federal officials say the entrance to the facility is now clear.
Officers said Federal Protective Service agents would guard the facility against future occupations.
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