Gray’s Landing residents expand federal lawsuit seeking to restrict tear gas use near Portland ICE building
Lawsuit targets chemical munitions drifting into affordable housing
A growing group of residents at Gray’s Landing, an affordable housing complex in South Portland near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office, is asking a federal judge to stop the use of tear gas and other chemical munitions that they say have repeatedly entered their homes during protest-related enforcement operations.
The case was filed on December 5, 2025, in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon by REACH Community Development and multiple Gray’s Landing residents, naming the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and several DHS components and leaders as defendants. Court records list DHS, ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Protective Service and the U.S. Secret Service among the named agencies, along with senior officials. The presiding judge is Youlee Yim You.
What plaintiffs say is happening at Gray’s Landing
Residents and the housing provider allege that federal officers responding to demonstrations near the ICE facility have deployed chemical agents in ways that foreseeably reach nearby residences. Residents have described tear gas and pepper-ball residue entering apartments and common areas, with complaints including coughing, burning eyes and breathing problems. They also cite repeated loud detonations and nighttime disturbance tied to crowd-control operations in the immediate vicinity.
Gray’s Landing is described as a large affordable housing complex serving low-income tenants, including seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and families with children. The proximity of the residential building to the ICE facility is central to the lawsuit’s claim that crowd-control tactics affect non-participants inside their homes.
What the lawsuit seeks
The complaint requests declaratory and injunctive relief and includes a push for immediate court intervention through a motion for a preliminary injunction filed December 29, 2025. The requested order would restrict federal officers from deploying tear gas, smoke grenades, pepper balls and related chemical munitions in ways that predictably expose Gray’s Landing residents, while allowing use in circumstances involving imminent threats.
In filings, plaintiffs argue the repeated intrusion of chemical agents into residences amounts to an unlawful interference with health and safety inside the home.
Costs, mitigation and local policy backdrop
REACH has reported spending significant funds on mitigation steps aimed at protecting tenants, including building-wide filtration measures and additional support for residents. Separate from the lawsuit, Portland policymakers have debated enforcement tools intended to deter or penalize releases of chemical agents affecting surrounding neighborhoods, reflecting broader local pressure to limit impacts from federal crowd-control actions.
What happens next
A preliminary injunction request typically triggers an accelerated schedule for written arguments and, in some cases, a court hearing. The judge could grant, deny or narrow any requested restrictions, setting the immediate rules governing future crowd-control tactics near the housing complex while the case proceeds.
Case filed: December 5, 2025
Motion for preliminary injunction filed: December 29, 2025
Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon
The federal agencies named in the suit have not made a unified public statement in the case record addressing the residents’ allegations. The litigation is expected to test how federal crowd-control authority intersects with the rights of nearby residents who say they are being harmed inside their homes.