A federal judge has temporarily barred U.S. immigration officers from using tear gas and projectile weapons against peaceful protesters in Portland, delivering a significant legal setback to the Trump administration's enforcement tactics amid escalating demonstrations against federal immigration policy.
U.S. District Judge Michael Simon issued the restraining order late Tuesday, prohibiting officers from the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement from deploying chemical irritants or impact munitions on demonstrators. The order also bars officers from firing at the head, neck, or torso unless there is a legal basis to use deadly force.
The ruling follows a chaotic weekend outside an ICE facility in Portland, where federal agents fired tear gas, pepper balls, and rubber bullets into a crowd that included families and children. Local officials and witnesses said the gathering had been peaceful before agents moved in with crowd-control weapons.
In a sharply worded opinion, Judge Simon rejected the government's characterization of the incidents as isolated. He wrote that the violence was "in no way isolated," adding that the "culture of the agency and its employees is to celebrate violent responses over fair and diplomatic ones." The temporary ban is set to remain in place for at least 14 days as the court weighs further arguments.
The order relies heavily on accounts detailed in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, which catalogued injuries to protesters and journalists. Among the most serious cases was that of Richard Eckman, an 83-year-old Vietnam War veteran, and his 84-year-old wife, Laurie Eckman, who joined a peaceful march in October.
According to court filings, officers fired chemical munitions into the crowd without warning. Laurie Eckman was struck in the head by a pepper ball and, the opinion notes, "walked home soaked in blood," later receiving treatment for a concussion. Her husband's walking frame was also hit by a munition.
The ruling also cites the case of Jack Dickinson, a frequent protester known locally for wearing a chicken costume. Judge Simon found that officers pepper-sprayed him directly in the face twice and shot him in the back with so-called less-lethal rounds from about four to six meters away, with one tear gas canister igniting his costume.
Journalists documenting the protests were also injured. Photojournalist Hugo Rios had his camera broken and was fired upon with a tear gas canister at his feet, before being shot with pepper balls 20 times. Video journalist Mason Lake was maced and shot in the groin. Judge Simon wrote that federal agents must be stopped from "gassing, shooting, hitting and arresting peaceful Portlanders and journalists willing to document federal abuses as if they are enemy combatants."
The decision has intensified a standoff between city leaders and federal authorities. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson condemned the actions, writing: "To those who continue to work for ICE: Resign. To those who control this facility: Leave," and adding, "go home, look in a mirror, and ask yourselves why you have gassed children."
