Portland ICE Protest: Rooftop Vandal Charged; 9th Circuit Had Reversed Force Restriction

The night after protesters breached the Portland ICE facility gate on March 28, 26-year-old Isiah Lee was formally charged with first-degree criminal mischief and second-degree criminal trespass for climbing onto the roof of the ICE building and vandalizing it. Separately, a 2-1 panel of the 9th Circuit — which had granted the Trump administration's emergency request on March 25 to pause injunctions limiting the use of crowd-control weapons by federal officers outside the Portland ICE building — had oral arguments scheduled for April 7. Residents in neighboring apartments had previously reported health effects from federal agents' use of chemical munitions during prior protests. The 9th Circuit's reversal of the force restrictions had been seen by protesters as removing a protective barrier, contributing to the escalation at the facility on March 28.