ICE arrests 51 criminal illegal immigrants in Portland amid ongoing Antifa-linked protests

The arrests come as US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and raids are set to increase in the self-declared sanctuary city amid ongoing unlawful demonstrations at the South Portland ICE facility, according to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources. The ICE facility has been under siege by Antifa-affiliated anarchists and similar-minded protesters since early June, with the support of elected Democratic city and state officials.

US Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks announced the results of the operation in a Tuesday post on X.

"USBP Special Operations Group in coordination with OFO SRT and ICE, apprehended 51 illegal aliens with extensive criminal histories," wrote Banks, adding that the apprehensions occurred over this past weekend.

The criminal illegal aliens, who are all in ICE custody, are citizens of Mexico, Venezuela, Guatemala, Honduras, China, Peru, Nicaragua, Colombia, Israel, Georgia, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, and Tanzania, according to Banks.

Those arrested had a host of criminal charges that included sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, drug trafficking, assault, robbery, manslaughter, weapons charges, narcotic distribution, immigration fraud, and visa violations, the Border Patrol Chief reported.

Portland, a sanctuary city that forbids local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE, has been in national headlines over the past several months due to the ongoing 24-hour occupation outside the ICE facility, which was established by anti-ICE demonstrators, many of whom are affiliated with Antifa networks, on June 7.

The area has been the scene of near-nightly clashes between black-clad agitators and federal agents, turning a residential neighborhood into a tear gas chamber as federal authorities have been forced to deploy crowd control munitions to quash violent direct actions. Additionally, demonstrators block the ICE driveway on a daily and nightly basis in an attempt to prevent illegal immigrants from being deported and federal officers from entering and exiting the facility.

The situation sparked a July visit from Tom Homan, President Trump's border czar, where he vowed to increase immigration enforcement operations in Portland due to the persistent violence against federal officers and the city's sanctuary status, which Homan said harbors criminal illegal migrants.

President Trump has since ordered the National Guard to be deployed to the ICE facility, describing the protesters as "terrorists" and vowing to put an end to their unlawful behavior, which the president said would not be tolerated under his administration.