FBI raids Portland home of illegal immigrant suspected of aiming laser at Border Patrol helicopter

The FBI raided a home linked to a suspect accused of pointing a high-powered laser at a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopter on Saturday during an anti-ICE protest in Portland. Four illegal immigrants were arrested during that raid.

According to FBI Portland, agents made contact with the primary suspect during the home raid and determined that the subject was an illegal immigrant. Upon further investigation, federal authorities located three additional occupants residing in the home and discovered that they were also illegally present in the US.

All four suspects were placed into the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Removal Operations (ERO) Seattle, the FBI said. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Service (FPS), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). President Donald Trump sent federal agents to Portland to quash the 100-day-plus anti-ICE occupation.  

"The laser that was used was acquired during the course of the investigation," the FBI wrote on X. "The federal government will not tolerate violence against federal officers, nor will we tolerate assaults on personal, commercial, or government aircraft."

On September 27, when a CBP helicopter was flying above the ICE facility in Portland, CBP officers inside the chopper observed a laser being pointed at them, as well as at another aircraft. Under US law, it is illegal to aim a laser at an aircraft due to the danger it poses to occupants and to those on the ground should there be an accident as a result.

FBI Director Kash Patel commented on the investigation, warning that any individual who comes after law enforcement officers will face immediate consequences. "Targeting law enforcement will never be tolerated," he said.

"In Portland, FBI agents and our federal partners swiftly took into custody four individuals here illegally who allegedly aimed lasers at a CBP aircraft. Let this serve as a warning: if you come after the men and women who protect this nation, we will come after you, and you will be put away," Patel told Fox News.

The FBI's home raid comes shortly after Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo on ending political violence against ICE officers, directing the FBI, US Marshals Service, ATF, and DEA to "immediately direct all necessary officers and agents to defend ICE facilities and personnel whenever and wherever they come under attack, including in Portland and Chicago."

The ICE facility in Portland's southwest waterfront has been under siege since June 7, when individuals involved with Antifa-affiliated networks formed a 24-hour occupation. At least 27 individuals have been arrested on federal charges for a variety of offenses, including assault on federal officers, arson, depredation of government property, and other serious crimes.

The site is the scene of near-nightly clashes between anti-ICE agitators and federal officers, who have been fending off a criminal, unruly mob for several consecutive months. The situation drew attention from the Trump administration, resulting in the president on Sunday ordering Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to deploy "all necessary troops to protect war-ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists." Trump said he was authorizing full force, if necessary.