Ore. Chief 'Confident' Police Force Can Handle Further ICE Protests

After President Donald Trump ordered the Oregon National Guard to protect ICE from protesters, Portland Police Chief Bob Day says it has the resources to quell any disturbances.

By Zane Sparling

Source oregonlive.com

Sept. 30, 2025

3 min read

What to know

Portland Police Chief Bob Day said the bureau is deploying additional officers to the ICE facility after recent unrest, while disputing the need for President Trump’s federalized National Guard troops.
The agency's Rapid Response Team returned to action Sunday, making two assault arrests among about 200 protesters after weeks of limited enforcement.
Day said police will prioritize public safety and continue coordinating with federal partners, although he expects National Guard troops to serve mainly in site security roles.

Portland, OR, Police Chief Bob Day addresses the media Monday after President Donald Trump ordered 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to protect ICE agents from protesters.

The Portland Police Bureau is readying more forces for possible disturbances at the embattled U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, Chief Bob Day said.

The Monday announcement comes after President Donald Trump federalized 200 members of the Oregon National Guard over the weekend and ordered them to protect ICE from protesters he calls antifa.

Day, however, said at a press conference that there was no need for the president to muster troops, saying he was “confident” that regular police could handle further disturbances.

“Violence in the city is not acceptable,” he said. “We will have additional resources designated this evening.”

Alongside bicycle officers and protest liaisons, the bureau’s Rapid Response Team made its first show of force in months at the ICE office Sunday evening, arresting two people on assault charges for a beating that was caught on camera. Day estimated the crowd size as about 200 people.

Until Sunday, the Police Bureau had not made an arrest since the end of June at the protest area, which spans roughly a city block south of downtown at the edge of the South Waterfront development.

Day said officers had been monitoring the area during the lull in July and August and said it wasn’t appropriate for local police to respond to criminal activity occurring on federal property.

But he said it would have been “naive, if not negligent” to stay away from the ICE base in the aftermath of Trump’s troop deployment announcement on Saturday.

The police chief had few other specifics to share — saying he knew nothing about the low-flying Black Hawk helicopter that has been buzzing southern parts of Portland. He acknowledged that some members of the Portland Police Bureau serve in the National Guard, but said none had been called up for duty as of Monday.

Day said he has been in contact with federal law enforcement partners, without discussing immigration matters, and believes the soldiers will primarily be used as “site security,” perhaps by also guarding the U.S. District Courthouse and an adjacent federal building on Southwest Third Avenue.

While Portland city councilors voted in June to place a $1.9 million pot of overtime dollars under their control, the police chief said he’d recently spoken with the mayor about the need to prioritize public safety.

“We recognized that that was a council request, but my responsibility is for the overall protection of all Portlanders, and we’re going to prioritize the Police Bureau resources and budget in the way that we see is most beneficial,” Day said.

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