Portland mayor calls on ICE employees to resign after chemical munitions used at protest

Statement follows Saturday demonstration near ICE facility

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson issued a sharply worded statement late Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, telling federal immigration personnel: “To those who continue to work for ICE: Resign.” The statement came after federal agents used chemical munitions during a daytime demonstration outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in South Portland.

Wilson described the protest as largely peaceful and said most people present “violated no laws, made no threat and posed no danger.” Portland police monitored the gathering and reported no arrests. The Portland Fire Bureau responded to provide medical care to people affected at the scene.

City points to new local code targeting impacts from detention facilities

In his statement, Wilson said the city is moving to implement a newly adopted local ordinance that took effect earlier this month. The measure created a “Detention Facility Impact Fee” framework within the city code and is intended to shift certain public costs associated with detention-facility operations away from taxpayers.

The ordinance, passed by the City Council on Dec. 3, 2025, became effective Jan. 2, 2026. City officials have said administrative rules are still being developed before enforcement can begin. The policy includes civil penalties tied to the release or deposition of “chemical residues or other substances” beyond a detention facility’s premises into surrounding streets or neighboring property.

• Effective date of the detention-facility impact fee code: Jan. 2, 2026
• Mayor’s statement issued: Saturday night, Jan. 31, 2026
• Police reported arrests at the protest: none

Evidence preservation and accountability steps outlined

Wilson said the city is documenting the day’s events and preserving evidence, adding that the federal government “must, and will, be held accountable.” The mayor’s office framed the city’s next steps as a process that must withstand legal scrutiny.

“The City of Portland is moving swiftly to operationalize an ordinance that went into effect this month, imposing a fee on detention facilities that use chemical agents,” Wilson said in the statement.

Broader dispute over the ICE facility’s footprint in Portland

The weekend confrontation occurred amid an ongoing local and national debate over federal immigration enforcement and the presence of ICE facilities in cities with policies limiting local cooperation in immigration enforcement. In Portland, city leaders have also been engaged in parallel land-use and compliance questions tied to the ICE building’s operating conditions, which date back to the facility’s 2011 land-use approval.

Wilson’s Saturday statement linked the city’s policy posture to public safety and neighborhood impacts, while reiterating support for immigrant residents and emphasizing that the city intends to use local legal tools where applicable.