Oregon ICE Activity—Weekly Update (3/26/2026)
DHS Allowed to Use Chemical Munitions Again, Oregon Republicans Push for Cooperation with ICE, and No ICE Agents Currently at PDX
DHS Allowed to Gas Again
Two Trump-appointed judges on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals paused both preliminary injunctions restricting federal agents from using chemical munitions, such as tear gas and pepper balls, outside the Portland ICE building.
The 2-1 ruling is an administrative stay that will last until the 9th Circuit finishes deliberation and makes a full ruling, but the timing of the stay comes just days before a “No Kings” protest. The No Kings rally is not at the ICE building, but many people go to the facility after the rally ends.
On both of the previous No Kings days—June 14 and October 18—federal agents made violent arrests and deployed numerous crowd control munitions, gassing many peaceful protesters in the process. June 14 was heavily cited by the Trump administration in their attempts to federalize the National Guard in Portland, but these attempts ultimately failed.
The 9th Circuit judges are reportedly fast tracking oral arguments and likely consolidating the two cases involved, although each case hinges on different constitutional arguments. They said a stay is intended to “minimize harm while an appellate court deliberates”—federal agents were still permitted to use crowd controls if there was a clear and immediate threat to their safety or the safety of another person.
Judging by the actions of federal agents on previous No Kings days, it is quite possible the stay will increase harm.
Oregon Republicans Want More Cooperation with ICE
Republicans in the Oregon Legislature have been pushing for a bill that would allow ICE to detain undocumented immigrants inside prison upon finishing their sentences. Currently Oregon’s Sanctuary Promise appears to restrict ICE from such access, meaning ICE can only detain individuals once they’ve been released back into the community. Other states such as California and Minnesota allow ICE access into prisons for these detentions—many of the detentions DHS cited in “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota were through this method.
Oregon Democrats voted down the Republican push, saying trust needs to be rebuilt with federal immigration agencies before there’s any discussion of cooperation.
Detentions and Airports
Detentions in Oregon have remained low for another week. Two detentions with names were reported to the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition hotline between March 17 and March 24, but additional unknown individuals were reported detained as well.
Despite national news of ICE agents at airports, so far PDX has not had any reports. For more info on what to know if ICE is at the airport, here is a post from Oregon for All. I’d also just like to note, I recommend turning off biometrics, such as face ID, on all devices if going through TSA.