Multnomah County DA Cracks Down on Anti‑ICE Demonstrations in Portland After Predecessor’s Leniency

Portland, Oregon, has seen a notable change in how authorities respond to demonstrations at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility since Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez took office. Court and police records reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation indicate that Vasquez’s office filed charges in at least 33 of 53 arrests related to anti‑ICE protests documented by the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) between September and February — about 63 percent of the cases. The shift away from his predecessor’s approach has coincided with a drop in the size and intensity of nightly protests at the site.

Vasquez, a registered Independent whose office is nonpartisan, told the DCNF that his office supports the right to protest but will not tolerate criminal conduct. “It is a fundamental right and one that is frequently embraced here in Portland, Oregon. What we do not support or tolerate is people committing crimes against each other or property when they gather to protest,” he said. Vasquez emphasized that prosecutions are not motivated by political affiliation: “It does not matter to me if someone is part of the left, right or center. If they break the law during a protest they will be prosecuted.”

The charging decisions under Vasquez have covered a range of offenses, according to court filings and police press releases. Charges filed during the six‑month period included assault, interfering with a peace officer, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and criminal trespass, among others. Those cases have produced 11 convictions and one no‑contest plea so far. Prosecutors or courts dismissed 19 cases, one defendant received a dismissal after paying restitution, and another was acquitted of harassment and disorderly conduct. The records also noted one juvenile arrestee whose case details were not available for analysis.

The more aggressive posture contrasts with policies implemented by former Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt in August 2020. Schmidt, described in the local political discourse as backed by George Soros, issued guidance declining to prosecute several protest‑related offenses automatically, including riot, harassment, escape, trespass, disorderly conduct and interfering with a peace officer. Under that policy, the office said it would pursue only cases involving “deliberate property damage, theft or the use or threat of force against another person.”

Portland’s public response to the change has been evident on the street. An anonymous Portland police officer told the DCNF in mid‑January that protests at the ICE building had dwindled to fewer than a dozen agitators on most nights, attributing the decline to the knowledge that the DA would pursue charges. “I had one specific case the other night and they issued immediately,” the officer said. “Vasquez isn’t screwing around.” The same officer later said Monday that “the amount of shenanigans has slowed to nearly a stop” at the facility. In a more blunt assessment about repeat participants, the officer said, “There [would] always be ten to 20 of these mentally deranged human beings down there doing their thing but it is [ineffective] to ICE.”

Still, not all arrests have resulted in prosecutions. Vasquez’s office dropped charges in a number of cases, including that of conservative influencer Nick Sortor, who was arrested in October on a disorderly conduct charge after attempting to take a burning American flag from protesters. The PPB defended the decision to arrest Sortor but said prosecutors determined they could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. “While we work with the elected District Attorney’s office to forward them prosecutable cases, we understand that in the end, not all of them have the necessary proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” a PPB spokesperson told the DCNF. “But whomever the elected DA is does not change how we make arrests. We continue to assume our role in the criminal justice system, and the DA assumes theirs.”

The prosecutions come against a broader backdrop of political debate in Portland. City leaders, including members of the Portland city council and Democratic Mayor Keith Wilson’s administration, have taken positions seen as protective of migrants and critical of federal immigration policies. The surge in demonstrations around ICE escalated after the Trump administration announced expanded deportation efforts, prompting tensions in cities described as sanctuary jurisdictions.

The handling of anti‑ICE demonstrations in Portland now highlights competing priorities: protecting the right to protest and maintaining public order. Vasquez ran a tough‑on‑crime campaign that led to his victory over Schmidt in a 2024 primary and eventual assumption of the office. His approach has reduced the frequency and size of protests at the ICE facility, supporters say, while critics argue that some repeat offenders continue to avoid lengthy jail time. Records and reporting have shown that several individuals arrested at recent Portland demonstrations had prior criminal histories and that some were arrested multiple times in the months covered by the DCNF’s review. As prosecutions and court outcomes continue to unfold, Portland’s experience will likely remain a focal point in debates over local prosecutorial discretion, protest policy and immigration enforcement.