‘Oregon is our home’: Neighbors united as National Guard decision looms

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Even as protests continue outside the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, with Portland police making two arrests Thursday night, neighbors around the city are vowing to stay united.

Neighbors around Portland are standing together over what many local residents say is the unnecessary proposition of sending National Guard troops into the city as a

federal court decision about the matter looms.

In Northeast Portland, religious leaders, city councilors and neighbors gathered to support one another.

Reverend Chris Dela Cruz with Together Lab helped organize the Neighbor to Neighbor event.

“We have a strong community of migrants and folks who’ve come from all around the world who just want to live their lives and live in dignity. And so we think that being in solidarity with one another, neighborhood by neighborhood, block by block, is how we can just be strong together,” Dela Cruz said. “We have folks who are pastors, who are teachers, who are hearing from kids, who are hearing from their own neighbors that they’re afraid that, you know, Oregon is our home, right? This is not a military target.”

This all comes after an order by the Trump administration to send National Guard troops into Portland was temporarily blocked after a federal court granted Oregon’s restraining order request. The Trump administration appealed that decision, which is now being considered in another federal court overseen by a three-judge panel. That appeal decision may come as soon as Friday.

Depending on how the three-judge panel rules, National Guard troops may or may not be sent into Portland in response to protests outside the federal ICE facility.

The South Portland federal facility has been a central focus of protests. The Portland Police Bureau has said they’ve made 47 arrests in that area during protests since June, including two on Thursday night. Portland police said the arrests were of one person facing a harassment charge and another person wanted on previous warrants.

Some of the same people come to the protests night after night, in small but dedicated numbers. A new face in the crowd is Meg, who joined the protest outside the ICE facility while visiting family in Portland.

“I don’t know why you need even one troop here today. Like, it’s a colossal waste of time and money. And I feel like it’s just provoking people,” said Meg, who is from Chicago.

Her hometown has also been a city where Trump successfully deployed National Guard troops, though hundreds still await orders.

“Portland is so not on fire, it’s the most beautiful city…Everybody’s kind. It’s a good place. There’s nothing. Look at this. There’s lovely people standing around. That’s it. No fire here. Nothing to look at. Folks. Portland’s fine. I’m fine,” Meg said.

Protesters gathered in smaller numbers than they had over the summer, though there was a notably beefed-up presence of federal law enforcement officers on Thursday evening.

In addition, more helicopters and drones, which the Department of Homeland Security confirmed as theirs, are circling the federal facility from above.

Recently, scuffles between protesters and counter-protesters disturbed otherwise peaceful protests outside the ICE facility. That included on Wednesday night, when four arrests were made for harassment and pointing a laser at a police plane flying above.

The Portland Police Bureau also continues to have a beefed-up presence in South Portland, including into the overnight hours.