This video shows the conflict at the ICE facility in Portland on March 28, 2026.
Report from CrimethInc:
[Anarchists at the 2026 No Kings Rallies
Reports from anarchists who engaged with the March 28, 2026 No Kings rallies.
CrimethInc.CrimethInc. Ex-Workers Collective
](After roughly 30,000 people flooded downtown Portland for the No Kings parade on March 28th, 2026, a few hundred made their way to the ICE facility on the South Waterfront. People chanting “ICE out!” filled the driveway, stepping over the thin blue line that federal agents painted across the entrance to denote the point beyond which they are determined to arrest people.
[Post by @alissaazar@kolektiva.social
View on Mastodon](https://kolektiva.social/@alissaazar/116309744489967584?ref=wewillfreeus.org)
After someone burned an American flag in the driveway, federal agents surged out and made an arrest. The crowd immediately pushed forward, forcing the agents to retreat back inside. Over a hundred people flooded the driveway. Projectiles flew towards the feds—water bottles, sticks, and random objects. Surprisingly, Department of Homeland Security agents did not respond with munitions.
The vicinity of the ICE facility in Portland, Oregon.
Shortly after 6 pm, a band set up across the street, using a megaphone propped up on a mic stand. By sunset, the crowd had swelled to around 500.
As the band played on, another rhythm took over: the rattle of the facility gates, shaking in time with the drums. Then—suddenly—they gave way. The gates burst open, and a few people stepped through.
DHS took their time responding. No Border Patrol, no Border Patrol Tactical Unit, no familiar wall of federal tactical gear—at least, not at first. For the first time in a long time, the feds in Portland hesitated.
It turned out that they were waiting for backing from the local authorities.
Soon after DHS went back inside, Portland Police bike cops formed a line up the street at the intersection of Bancroft and Macadam. A riot van pulled in behind them and Oregon State Troopers spilled out to join the formation.
State troopers arrive.
Police line.
A Portland police officer known for his brutality.
Together, they advanced on the crowd. The push from police was immediate and aggressive—they shoved people to the pavement, knocked older folks out of lawn chairs, barked orders to move back when there was physically nowhere to go. They forced the crowd back until they reached the edge of the facility, then declared the area closed, holding the line while the feds repaired their gate.
Just before 8 pm, nearly an hour later, police pulled back. The gate was fixed and local police had finished doing the feds’ bidding. The crowd erupted: “Whose streets? Our streets!”
The fixed gate didn’t last two minutes.
Hands were back on the gate. Metal groaned. And once again, it broke open. The crowd roared. Graffiti spread across the building: “Kill nazis,” among other tags. Within minutes, DHS returned—this time, with Border Patrol agents in full fatigues and gas masks. They carried out more arrests, bringing the total to at least four.
Border Patrol agent holding a line at the contested territory
[Post by @alissaazar@kolektiva.social
View on Mastodon](https://kolektiva.social/@alissaazar/116310214099261717?ref=wewillfreeus.org)
DHS agents at night, before they retreated.
DHS agents guarding the gate.
The contested territory.
One federal mercenary displaying egregiously bad muzzle discipline.
Protesters attempted to pull back those the officers targeted. They successfully de-arrested some people, despite being continuously obstructed by a wall of livestreamers and photographers raising their cameras.
Even then, however, the feds held back on using munitions. This was shocking, not what people have come to expect at the ICE facility. The officers moved in, made arrests, and retreated, only to experience another barrage of projectiles. Bottles, sticks, eggs, and other objects rained down until they disappeared behind their doors. While the restraint and lack of “less than lethals” on the part of federal agents was noticeable, this didn’t make the brutality of their arrests any less violent, as multiple arrestees were slammed down to the ground, piled on, and dragged away, and at least one officer pointed his loaded sidearm directly at people’s heads.
Throughout the night, a handful of far-right instigators were identified and forced out of the crowd. One of them was pummeled with water balloons filled with pink paint to the laughter and cheers of onlookers. Flags caught fire again—one American flag and one flag bearing a swastika. At one point, someone climbed onto the awning and dismantled a security camera piece by piece. This inspired people to take down several other cameras, pulling the wiring out.
right-wing instigator covered in paint
Right-wing instigators. Jimmy (left) and Josh Meshell (right)
Why did federal agents show unusual restraint? Why were local police left to do the bulk of the crowd control? These remain open questions.
But one thing is not in question: people kept coming. They repeatedly crossed the blue line painted on the ground. They came back again every time federal agents attempted to push them back. Whatever strategy was unfolding behind those doors, it met with rage, defiance, and a refusal to back down.
Feds have retreated
— Alissa Azar (@alissaazar.bsky.social) 2026-03-29T03:42:30.708Z
Mercenaries’ exit, stage left.
Read the full report on Anarchists at the 2026 No Kings Rallies:
[Anarchists at the 2026 No Kings Rallies
Reports from anarchists who engaged with the March 28, 2026 No Kings rallies.
CrimethInc.CrimethInc. Ex-Workers Collective
From We Will Free Us via This RSS Feed.