OPB Politics Now Portland’s ICE building back in national spotlight
Apr 9, 2026
Troy Brantelson, OPB public safety reporter covering policing and immigration enforcement impacts. Conrad Wilson, OPB legal affairs reporter who explains appellate and courtroom dynamics. They unpack Ninth Circuit hearings over tear gas use near an ICE facility. They discuss tenants’ health claims, protesters’ legal arguments, judges’ probing questions, and shifting ICE detention data in the Pacific Northwest.
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Protesters Say Crowd Control Swept Up Peaceful Demonstrators
- Protesters contend many actions were constitutionally protected nonviolent speech but were swept up by indiscriminate crowd-control tactics.
- Their suit says federal responses targeted peaceful demonstrators as well as a smaller subset accused of violence.
DOJ Says Restrictions Harm Law Enforcement Response
- The Justice Department argued restrictions on chemical irritants irreparably harm government operations and hinder officers confronting large crowds.
- DOJ framed crowd-control tools as critical defenses and sought relief from the injunctions at the Ninth Circuit.
Plaintiffs Presented Specific Medical Harms From Exposure
- Plaintiffs highlighted acute and chronic medical harms and specific severe cases to show concrete injury from munitions use.
- Apartment attorneys listed symptoms and a plaintiff whose Cushing's disease required adrenal surgery after exposure.