Ambulance crew blocked from leaving ICE facility by federal agents, docs show

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A clash between an ambulance crew and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stalled a medical transport at the South Portland ICE facility earlier this month.

On Oct. 5, our footage captured a group of protestors outside Portland’s ICE facility.

The incident between AMR and ICE allegedly ended in a federal agent threatening to shoot an ambulance driver, according to leaked documents first reported by Willamette Week.

While details of the allegations are unconfirmed by officials, KOIN 6 News has confirmed that American Medical Response (AMR) leaders and Teamster union members met with the Federal Protective Service on Wednesday night to discuss the incident. However, no officials are commenting during the ongoing investigation.

Portland Fire and Rescue records and radio dispatch obtained by KOIN 6 News show that ICE detained a suspect that night, described as a 32-year-old white man with a broken collar bone. 

Bureau of Emergency Communications dispatch records show an AMR ambulance was called to the ICE facility at 9:14 p.m. to transport the man to Legacy Emanuel Hospital. Public records show that the ambulance arrived within five minutes, but there was some kind of hold up when the ambulance tried to leave at 9:34 p.m.

According to the radio records, at 9:34 p.m. the EMT driving the ambulance told dispatch that they were “not being allowed to leave by the ICE officers.” The EMT reiterated this again over the radio at 9:40 p.m.

Portland police radio recordings provide a similar account, stating that “protesters are out of the way” and that it “looks like they’re getting ready to open the gates soon.”

However, the ambulance was still not on the road.

“There’s 50-60 federal agents out there completely blocking the road with the ambulance, still not driving out yet,” a Portland police officer said to dispatch.

What exactly happened behind the gates for those roughly 10 minutes is not revealed in public documents.

However, police radio transcripts from outside the building around that same time appear to show that law enforcement was working on clearing the roads of some people.

Our camera crew captured video of the ambulance leaving the ICE facility, and the EMT is heard on the radio at 9:42 p.m. saying she “finally made it on the road – CODE 1 to Emanuel.”

KOIN 6 News reached out to AMR, which shared the following statement:

“The safety and wellbeing of our public service partners, employees, patients and community members remain paramount to AMR Multnomah County (AMR). AMR is collaborating closely with Federal Protective Service to thoroughly review all aspects related to this incident.  

“To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, we are unable to offer further commentary or disclose additional details. We reaffirm our commitment to the residents of Multnomah County, ensuring continued focus on quality care, and will uphold support for both our caregivers, partners and patients as we honor the trust placed in our organization each day.”

KOIN 6 News also reached out to ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, but neither agency has responded to the request for comment. 

Paramedics familiar with the incident told KOIN 6 the two employees involved were initially “shaken” but felt better after the meeting on Wednesday. Medics, however, said they are looking to AMR leadership to provide safety during these tense times. 

“We stand against assault on our health care providers just as we stand against assault on our community. We continue to do our part, our leadership needs to do the same in keeping everyone safe,” Tim Mollman said, a paramedic with AMR.

Austin DePaolo, the Secretary-Treasurer with the Teamsters Local 223 union, shared the following statement:

“Our Teamster 223 EMS members at AMR respond to all calls with the same professionalism and composure they bring to every emergency. We appreciate that federal agents have since been cooperative and open to learn from this experience as we have. We all share a common goal, ensuring the safety of patients, first responders, and the public and we’re encouraged that constructive dialogue is taking place to prevent any similar incidents in the future.”


KOIN 6 News will follow up once the investigation is complete to review what happened within those missing 10 minutes.

To hear the dispatch recordings, watch the video player above.