ICE Temporarily Closes Portland Office as Protests Grow

The temporary field office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Portland, Oregon, has been closed temporarily, as protests outside the facility continue to grow. Last week, dozens of people began protesting outside the southwest Portland office about the zero-tolerance immigration policy adopted by the Trump administration. Some put up tents close to the front door of the facility on Sunday, and the numbers continue to grow.

Facility operations were suspended on Wednesday, including scheduled appointments with deportation officers. The office will remain closed until security issues have been dealt with, according to a statement from the federal agency. The statement claims the agency respects the right of the people to protest and that they are committed to conducting immigration enforcement under agency policy and federal law.

Police escorted employees from the building on Tuesday, according to CNN affiliate, KATU. The organizers of the protest, a group by the name of Occupy ICE PDX, have also released a statement, saying that the demonstrators intended to remain until concrete action had been taken to reunite the immigrant families separated as a result of the Trump administrator’s immigration policy.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to end the practice, although the order changed nothing about reuniting those families already separated, an official with Health and Human Services claims. Occupy ICE PDX say that the agency is standing in the way of Portland’s declaration of itself as a sanctuary city.