Above photo: Protest demands Portland City Council revoke the permit for the ICE Field Office. Fight Back! News.
Portland, OR – On July 16, around 50 protesters gathered at the Portland city council meeting space for a press conference and rally to demand Portland city council revoke the permit for the ICE Field Office at 4310 S Macadam Avenue in Portland. The press conference was organized by Revoke the ICE Permit, a coalition of groups organizing to get ICE out of Portland.
In 2011, the Portland city council approved a conditional use permit for the field office, allowing it to operate. One of the conditions for the conditional use permit was a 12-hour limit on the holding of detainees. A recent Fox 12 Oregon investigation found the office has violated this condition many times.
“ICE has violated the conditions of the conditional use permit, so we are asking Portland city council to simply enforce the code and revoke the permit,” said activist Omar Gil, “if we want to protect immigrants in our city, we must ensure ICE has no place in our community.”
The press conference was full of energy, with protesters chanting “ICE out of Portland.” Community members who live across from the facility spoke about the effects the field office has had on their quality of life.
“As a mother and neighbor living directly across the street from the ICE facility, I’ve seen firsthand how the constant protests, loud tactics, and repeated use of smoke grenades have disrupted not just my family’s wellbeing but the health and safety of our entire community,” said Mindan Ocan, a mother of a small child that lives directly across from the ICE field office, “My goal is to see the building permit revoked.”
Protesters attended the city council meeting. Spots for public comment must be reserved months in advance, so protesters decided to take action into their own hands and call upon city council to revoke the permit, without a speaking spot.
A spokesperson for the group made the demand that the permit be revoked and then the entire crowd began chanting “Revoke the ICE permit!”
The councilors left the meeting, and it was brought to a halt for over 30 minutes.
Protesters ended the day by convening outside city hall and committing to continue the fight to end all deportations and get ICE out of Portland.
Chicago tells local officials to shut down the Broadview ICE facility
The Broadview ICE Staging Facility is located just outside of Chicago in suburban Broadview, and is meant to hold ICE detainees for 12 hours before they are transferred to a detention center. As ICE has continued its abductions in Chicago and the surrounding area, Broadview has been used to house without beds or proper meals for days.
“Of the migrants we’ve been supporting in the Midwest, we know at least one, Tito Ernie, has spent time in the Broadview processing center,” said Caroline Olsen of the Tanggol Migrante Network, speaking to the crowd of more than 40 people who gathered for the press conference. Tito means uncle, a Filipino term of respect.
“He spent four days, disoriented and grieving the recent death of his sister, in the Broadview facility with no beds, showers, or adequate food,” continued Olsen. “He and his family were kept in the complete dark about his situation, with no understanding of how long he would be held there. He had no way of contacting his family or a lawyer.”
The Broadview facility has become a tool in the Trump administration’s attacks against immigrants and the working class. After Trump’s success in passing his budget bill, advocates worry that conditions at Broadview will worsen as ICE increases detentions.
“This moment requires transparency and accountability from ICE and other deputized agencies, especially as they ramp up their use of the Broadview processing center,” said Brandon Lee, communications director for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. “We know for a fact that ICE is holding people [for] multiple days at a time in inhumane conditions, and denying access to legal and community support before being fast-tracked to deportation.”
“These facilities should undergo regular audits, at a minimum,” said Jordan Esparza-Kelley, communications coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations – Chicago. “It is unacceptable that this facility has not undergone an audit in seven years.”
After the press conference, supporters moved across the street to States Attorney Burke’s office and attempted to deliver their demands in person. After a standoff with a staffer from Burke’s office resulted in threats of arrests, it became clear that even local officials are reluctant to oppose ICE’s terrorism.
“If you are going to arrest people, then the first person you are going to arrest is an elected official!” said Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez of the 25th Ward in response to the threats. Protesters chanted, “Aqui estamos, y no nos vamos!” until the staffer agreed to deliver the letter to Burke.
