Portland Antifa militant pleads guilty to arson attack on ICE facility, faces up to 20 years in prison

A violent Antifa militant pleaded guilty on Wednesday to launching an arson attack on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in South Portland. Trenten Edward Barker, 34, of Portland, faces up to 20 years in federal prison. He will be sentenced on March 4, 2026.

The incident occurred on June 11. According to an FBI affidavit, Barker was among a group of protesters who erected a barricade in front of the ICE facility gate. The defendant was captured on surveillance video igniting a flare and throwing it onto the barricade consisting of objects and debris, which resulted in a large fire.



The fire caused significant damage to the building's security system and the metal gate that restricts ingress and egress into the facility, according to court documents.



Barker, who was dressed in Antifa's black bloc militant uniform at the time of the attack, was charged in October with arson and depredation of government property. He pleaded guilty on Wednesday in the US District Court for Oregon as part of a plea agreement.



The defendant joins more than 30 other protesters who have been charged by President Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) with serious offenses committed at the Portland ICE facility since June 7, when a 24-hour Antifa-affiliated anti-ICE occupation was created outside the ICE building.

He is the second defendant to enter a guilty plea. Last month, Julie Winters, 47, born as Christopher Hudson, of Portland, pleaded guilty to assault on a federal officer. Winters attempted to impale a Federal Protective Service (FPS) agent in the head with a large knife after a failed attempt at igniting an incendiary device, according to court documents. The knife barely missed striking the officer in the head. Winters, who is also affiliated with Antifa, is scheduled to be sentenced in December.