Oregon lawmakers press Homeland Security to withdraw federal agents after tear gas deployed at Portland protest

Lawmakers and city officials escalate demands after crowd-control munitions used near ICE facility

Oregon’s congressional delegation has renewed demands that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security remove federal agents deployed outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, after reports and public imagery showed chemical irritants used against demonstrators in the South Waterfront area.

In an October 2025 letter addressed to the Homeland Security secretary, U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Janelle Bynum and Maxine Dexter said the agents’ presence was not requested by local authorities and argued that federal crowd-control operations were inflaming tensions rather than preventing violence. The lawmakers cited instances in which tear gas was used on community members and raised concerns about transparency and accountability for officers operating in public-facing enforcement roles.

What is known about the recent Portland incident

In late January and early February 2026, protests intensified outside the ICE facility as demonstrators gathered near the building during daytime hours. During one weekend demonstration, federal agents used tear gas along with other less-lethal munitions, prompting medical response for people affected on scene. Local police monitored the crowd but did not report making arrests related to that protest.

Portland’s mayor publicly condemned the use of chemical agents near residences and families, calling on ICE to vacate the city and describing the demonstration as largely peaceful. Separately, Portland City Council members urged the mayor’s office to use local regulatory tools to respond when chemical agents are deployed in ways that affect surrounding neighborhoods.

State legal officials cite a broader pattern

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and local district attorneys previously sent a formal demand in November 2025 to federal leadership seeking an immediate halt to what they described as unlawful and reckless conduct by federal officers operating in Oregon. The letter described a months-long pattern of excessive force, including tear-gas deployments that endangered residents and incidents in which munitions struck local and state law enforcement officers.

Those concerns have now moved into federal court. A U.S. district judge in Portland is weighing whether to impose temporary restrictions on federal agents’ use of force during demonstrations, following legal filings that allege a recurring pattern of retaliatory force during protest activity near federal facilities.

Key issues now under scrutiny

• Whether federal officers’ crowd-control tactics complied with constitutional and statutory limits on force during protected speech and assembly.
• How federal agencies coordinate—or fail to coordinate—with city and state officials during protest responses in dense residential areas.
• What identification, reporting, and oversight mechanisms apply to federal agents engaging in public-order operations.

The central dispute is less about the existence of protests than about which level of government sets the rules for force, accountability, and public safety around a federal immigration facility situated within the city.

As court proceedings continue and elected officials press for withdrawal, the immediate next developments are expected to come through judicial rulings on limits to federal force and through any response from Homeland Security regarding its operational posture in Portland.