GUILTY: First anti-ICE agitator to have case brought to trial CONVICTED for criminal offenses committed at Portland ICE facility

An anti-ICE agitator has been found guilty of committing a series of federal criminal offenses at the ICE facility in Portland last summer. David Pearl, 35, of Portland, Oregon, was convicted Tuesday for creating a disturbance at the ICE facility and failing to obey a lawful order. He was found guilty during a four-hour bench trial before US District Court Judge Jolie A. Russo.

Pearl has been sentenced to one year of probation and must complete 10 hours of community service. He is the first of dozens of protesters to take his case to trial over alleged offenses committed at the facility on Macadam Avenue since June 2025.

According to court documents, Pearl was among a group of agitators who formed a human blockade on the driveway of the ICE facility on the evening of June 21, 2025. He denied several lawful commands issued by the Federal Protective Service (FPS) to clear the driveway so federal vehicles could exit. At least six demands were issued over the course of 47 minutes.

Federal officers, including ICE, Border Patrol, and FPS, deployed from the facility to clear protesters from the driveway. While the majority of agitators dispersed, Pearl stayed put and was subsequently taken into custody. This incident was captured on ICE surveillance video.

On June 29, 2025, just eight days later, Pearl returned to the ICE facility and rushed in to interfere with the arrest of another agitator, identified in court documents as 33-year-old transgender Antifa militant Nadya Sofia Malinowska. "Surveillance footage shows that, as officers attempted to arrest Malinowska for failing to comply with the directives to clear the driveway, [Pearl] left the public sidewalk, walked on the property's driveway, and grabbed onto Malinowska's body from behind with both hands in an attempt to prevent her from being taken into custody," court documents state.

"As officers tried to separate the two, [Pearl] continued to latch onto Malinowska, and footage shows him appearing to jump onto Malinowska's back, grab the officers' arms and legs, and repeatedly attempt to writhe free," the US attorneys wrote. Pearl was arrested alongside Malinowska. This incident was also captured on ICE surveillance video.

Judge Russo made her decision to convict Pearl after reviewing videos of the arrests and hearing witness testimony from one ICE agent and three FPS officers. Pearl did not take the stand to testify, but told the Court that he is a "victim," in which he verbally unleashed on the federal government, claiming that it "celebrated" the two recent fatal shootings involving agitators in Minneapolis.

"What we are witnessing is a system at play that is meant to disrupt the very foundation of not just society but courts in general," Pearl said, according to the Oregonian. "We are being victimized for essentially not leaving fast enough...It's disgusting."

Assistant US Attorney Leah Bolstad requested a five-day jail sentence, telling Judge Russo that Pearl had returned to the ICE facility after committing the first offense and then kicked federal agents while interfering with a lawful arrest. "The defendant did nothing to accept responsibility, like many others at the ICE building, and so he shouldn't get the credit that those other people get with lower recommendations," she argued, adding that a prison sentence would act as a deterrent.
 

Pearl's defense attorney, Thomas Freedman, has filed an appeal. Pearl is among more than 35 protesters charged with offenses committed at the ICE facility, some of whom face serious jail time. Two additional defendants have since pleaded guilty to charges, including attempted arson, after reaching plea agreements.