Dear Portland,
On Saturday, federal agents at the Macadam ICE facility deployed chemical weapons against a peaceful, family-friendly labor rally in the South Waterfront. I was there, and I witnessed it firsthand: children, elders, and families—including my own constituents—were choked and blinded by tear gas. This was not law enforcement. It was an act of intimidation, and it is inexcusable.
Thousands of union members, their family members, friends, neighbors, and allies gathered at Elizabeth Caruthers Park to stand in solidarity with immigrant communities and protest ICE’s violence. The rally was explicitly peaceful, with organizers urging nonviolence and many parents bringing their children. Yet, as the march on South Moody neared the facility, federal agents used flash bangs and fired tear gas and pepper balls without warning directly into crowds that included toddlers and elders. I heard the cries, I saw the panic, and I felt the burning in my own eyes. This brutal and unprovoked assault on our community cannot stand.
These events illustrate clearly that ICE is not a legitimate law enforcement agency. It is an armed gang tasked with terrorizing and ethnically cleansing our communities. Its very existence is a clear and present threat to public safety.
That’s why last week, Councilor Angelita Morillo and I sent an open letter to Mayor Keith Wilson demanding urgent action to enforce the policies we have already passed. We called on him to immediately investigate the use of tear gas as a code violation, expedite the Detention Facility Impact Fee fines, and fast-track the land use permit investigation into ICE’s illegal operations.
We’ve been encouraged by the Mayor’s response. His statements over the past few days make it clear that he intends to move swiftly on these items.
Now, it’s time to push even harder.
ICE’s facility is already under investigation for illegally holding detainees beyond permitted limits. We must continue to push to accelerate that process, which provides the only legally defensible route to revoking the ICE facility permit.
At the same time, my fellow councilors and I are drafting legislation that would ban masks on federal agents operating in our city, direct Portland police to positively identify and document every ICE agent’s actions and create a public record of abuses for use in future prosecutions. The courts are already beginning to push back on ICE, but that fight is likely going to be a long one. In the meantime, we need to use every ounce of authority we have at the local, state, and regional level to keep our neighbors safe.
While elected leaders have a crucial role to play in developing effective policies, the only thing that’s ever going to really move the needle in this country is a mass movement. I’m hopeful that what we’re seeing right now on the streets of Portland and other cities is the birth of just such a mass movement, with organized labor and tenants at its core.
I want you to know that my office, along with a growing majority of the City Council, are determined to fight back using every tool we have. We will not let this criminality go unpunished. Together, we can protect Portlanders, and provide a model for how our country can stand up to ICE.
In solidarity,
Mitch Green
 Vigil on January 10 in Portland after ICE killed Renee Good in Minneapolis
We are collecting testimonies and evidence from those impacted by ICE violence. If you were harmed on Saturday or have other incidents to report, please contact our office at councilor.green@portlandoregon.gov. All submissions become part of public record.
Several organizations want to build the case against federal overreach and violence, and they want to hear from you so they can help. Report concerns related to federal actions to the Oregon Department of Justice and Attorney General Dan Rayfield. Use ACLU of Oregon Complaint Form to report constitutional violations. Send pictures, video, and a written account of what happened at the Macadam Facility on Saturday, January 31 (and all other dates and instances) to the National Lawyer's Guild in Portland: pdxlegalobserver@nlg.org.
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February 4: Council Meeting at 9:30 a.m. with the introduction of Councilor Green's resolution for oversight on unspent surplus housing funds (item 10).
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February 5: Council Meeting at 2:00 p.m. with the second reading of Councilor Morillo's ordinance to establish a City Data and Privacy Office (item 12); and the continuation of item 15 to allocate more than $20 million in unspent housing funds
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February 11: Migra Watch virtual training (multiple dates)
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February 17: Meet Your District 4 City Councilors at 6 p.m. (City Club)
OPB: How Portland is using city policies to try to punish an ICE facility (February 2, 2026) In December, City Councilors adopted a new policy regulating any privately-owned property that is leased for use as a detention center in Portland. While it’s not explicitly named in the policy, the Macadam ICE facility is the only building in Portland that currently meets this description.
The Verge: How to tear gas children (February 3, 2026) Green’s immediate instinct was to turn and walk into the gas to help others. “I don’t know, maybe it’s latent PTSD,” he said. Green is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan; he was also tear gassed during the 2020 protests.
KOIN 6: ‘No justification’: Portland City Councilors condemn federal use of tear gas at weekend protest (February 2, 2026) Councilor Mitch Green said he was at the protest Saturday afternoon and claimed that it was one of the most intense tear gas explosions he has experienced. He is an Army veteran.
Portland Mercury: Portland Officials Condemn ICE After Federal Agents Tear Gas Peaceful Protesters and Children (February 1, 2026) Portland Councilor Mitch Green, who was present at the event and experienced the effects of the tear gas, posted on social media about the experience, calling on Mayor Wilson to enforce a new Portland code prohibiting the use of tear gas at detention centers like the one ICE operates.
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