PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon lawmakers sounded off on President Donald Trump’s attempts to deploy National Guard troops to Portland as protests at the ICE facility continue.
Trump first made the announcement in late September, and Oregon leaders have since spoken out against it — even kicking off a legal battle to decide whether the federalization of these troops was warranted or constitutional.
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As Oregon awaits a decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the tone at the South Portland ICE facility has shifted. Night after night, costumed protesters have multiplied in the face of increased tear gas and pepper ball use by federal agents.
Protestors in costumes at the Portland ICE facility on Oct. 13, 2025. (KOIN)
“Portlanders are demonstrating with joy and whimsy, which is proving very irritating to President Trump and his cabinet members, because they came here to provoke violence and use that violence as a foundation for increasing authoritarian control,” Sen. Jeff Merkley said during a press conference Monday afternoon.
Merkley was joined by Sen. Ron Wyden and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Andrea Salinas, and Maxine Dexter in speaking out against what the five legislators call a federal overstep at the ICE facility.
Rep. Dexter said the Trump Administration’s recent attacks on the First Amendment right to peacefully assemble in Portland are “unconscionable.”
“We are seeing increasingly aggressive and provocative action by our federal officers,” Dexter said. “We — I think all — have been signing on to different letters, different bills trying to get this under control, but the fact of the matter is this administration doesn’t care about the law or the Constitution.”
Dexter reiterated the same points made by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Portland city leaders over the past three weeks: “There is no rebellion. There is no insurrection. There is no failure of our local law enforcement to be able to enforce federal law right now.”
“We are in a surreal place where, again, our administration is untethered to the reality on the ground,” she said. “We need our judicial branch to step up. We in the legislative branch are certainly doing what we can, but until our Republican colleagues also find their courage, we are all facing an escalation of power and, frankly, an authoritarian takeover by our government.”
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Rep. Bonamici also addressed the difference in how Portland is portrayed in the media versus how it looks on the ground.
“The ICE center is almost two miles away from downtown, and the picture they’re portraying is that downtown is burning and war-ravaged, and we all know that that’s not correct,” Bonamici said.
Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Portland and spoke with Portland city leaders. When she returned to Washington, D.C., she told the president, “They are all lying and disingenuous and dishonest people. As soon as you leave the room, then they make the exact opposite response.”
Noem also claimed that city leaders have been covering up terrorism on Portland’s streets while actively helping Antifa, the anti-fascist political group that was recently designated a terrorist organization by Trump.
These claims come as videos circulate social media of protesters at the Portland ICE facility wearing costumes, including inflatable frogs, dinosaurs, and more. On Sunday, an “emergency” Naked Bike Ride rolled through the streets of Portland in quirky protest.
Sen. Merkley noted that these unexpected forms of protest — including a recent “Paws Off Portland” dog walk and a wedding outside the ICE facility — have been helpful in proving the legislators’ claims that the city does not require federal intervention.
“Portlanders, in the face of provocation by these federal agents, have been so restrained and have responded with this joy,” he said. “It’s an unusual way to protest, perhaps, but it’s the right way for the moment.”
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.
