Temika Gardner, 41, of Portland, struck several ICE officers in the face and ripped off their facial coverings while interfering with a lawful arrest.
A Portland leftist woman has been convicted of launching a series of physical assaults on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a targeted enforcement operation last year, during which she freed a detained illegal immigrant from a federal detention van, sparking a tense foot chase.
Temika Gardner, 41, of Portland, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of assault on a federal officer as part of a plea agreement. Gardner struck several ICE officers in the face and ripped off their facial coverings while interfering with a lawful arrest, in which federal officers had a signed warrant, according to an HSI complaint. The incident occurred on October 23, 2025, outside of an apartment complex on Burnside Street in east Portland.
Temika Gardner, 41, of Portland, Oregon. Courtesy: Instagram
At approximately 7:40 am, ICE officers initiated a vehicle stop after witnessing their target, identified only as an illegal immigrant, leaving his apartment complex with an unidentified female. The subject attempted to flee in his vehicle but was blocked by a second law enforcement vehicle.
An ICE officer approached the subject's car and ordered him to exit. The subject was arrested and placed inside the rear of a federal detention van. During this time, individuals in the neighborhood started to gather at the scene.
The ICE officer began to drive away with the detained subject, but was impeded by Gardner, who was blocking the vehicle from moving. Gardner opened the rear door of the detention van, along with the unidentified female, allowing the illegal immigrant to escape custody. The detained migrant ran from the vehicle towards his apartment, prompting an intense foot pursuit. ICE officers tackled him to the ground, but had difficulty taking him into custody as he was resisting arrest, court documents state.
Gardner, who was recording with her phone, aggressively trailed officers as they were escorting the migrant back to the detention van. She placed her hands on the arresting officers "mulitiple times, impeding officer movement." Gardner then "struck Victim 1 in the face," where she grabbed the ICE agent's facial covering, pulled it off, and threw it to the ground, according to the complaint.
Gardner then turned her attention to another ICE agent (Victim 2), beating him "at least two times in the face." Gardner's hits knocked off the agent's sunglasses, which broke. The ICE agent used OC spray in self-defense, causing Gardner to back off briefly.
However, while the illegal migrant again started to struggle with arresting officers, Gardner jumped back into action. This time, she targeted Victim 2 for a second time, where she attempted to grab his face and mask. Gardner's ongoing attacks resulted in another ICE officer, identified as Victim 4, calling for backup. She then attacked Victim 4 by "pulling on the officer's face mask with enough force to pull him back," court documents state.
Additional federal officers arrived on scene to assist the agents in distress. An ICE officer, identified as Victim 3, ordered everyone to leave the area, including Gardner, who he was actively trying to keep back from the arresting officers attempting to escort the subject into the detention van. Court documents state that Gardner proceeded to punch Victim 3 in the face, "striking the left side of his jaw." The officer told Gardner that she was being placed under arrest, but Gardner took up "a stance" as if she were "ready to strike again."
Victim 3 and another officer moved to take Gardner into custody; however, she resisted arrest and fell on top of Victim 3. A struggle occurred for approximately one minute before Victim 3 was able to shift his way out from under Gardner, who can be described as heavy-set. Another officer jumped in to assist with the arrest, and Gardner was ultimately apprehended.
Gardner will be sentenced in July at the Mark O Hatfield federal courthouse. Assistant US Attorney Katherine Rykken told the judge that the government will seek a probationary sentence with home detention as a result of the plea deal. Online records show that she is a Black Lives Matter activist who has shared numerous anti-ICE posts on social media.
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
