Oregon Officials Stage ‘Intervention’ Following Declared Riot, Alleged Breach of Old Federal Building
Community members across Lane County have been peacefully protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s presence in the region since last July. In doing so, people have gathered daily at the Old Federal Building downtown and also across town, at the intersection of 28th and Willamette, at least weekly.
The “ICE Out” protests in Eugene have largely been peaceful. As reported by KVAL, there were two individuals arrested at a protest on Sept. 23, 2025, when protesters traveled down from Portland to Eugene.
However, KVAL failed to report that the same protest drew the presence of right-wing provocateurs Katie Daviscourt, a colleague of Andy Ngo at The Post Millennial, and Chelly Bouferrache. Daviscourt and Bouferrache, a.k.a. hunnybagermom on Twitter/X, have been given exclusive access to report on the ICE protests in Portland from the roof of the agency’s rented building.
Their efforts have escalated tensions in Portland on a number of occasions. With their influence, right-wing media were focused on Portland for weeks, and President Trump unlawfully sent in National Guard troops based largely on their reporting in late September 2025.
Kristi Noem even traveled to the city to see things with her own eyes from the very same roof on Oct 7. While sinisterly gazing upon peaceful protesters and blow-up frog costumes in the streets, she labeled it a “war zone.”
Daviscourt was later invited to be a part of the Oct. 9 “Antifa Roundtable” at the White House after alleging that she received a black eye during a confrontation at a protest.
Most notably, after Daviscourt and Bouferrache called for “protection” from “antifa,” Proud Boys and their affiliates arrived en masse at the ICE facility in Portland on Oct 12. This influx of right-wing provocateurs resulted in weeks of mass confusion, hysteria, arrests, deployment of chemical munitions, and the destruction of the camp that protesters had been occupying nearby.
The Protests
For seven months, protests in Eugene remained peaceful with few arrests until Tuesday, Jan. 27, when the weekly Singing for our Lives protest was disrupted by federal agents who exited the building and targeted individuals for detainment. Federal officers deployed tear gas in the process, many directly hitting local media present covering the day’s protests, including DSM photojournalist Robert Scherle.
That action was repeated later in the evening following a vigil for Alex Pretti led by the Oregon Nurses Association. In all, federal agents detained several individuals and deployed chemical munitions multiple times throughout the afternoon and evening. The protest ended at around 9 p.m. that evening.
Also in attendance was Bouferrache, who traveled down from Portland to record the action for her fans on X/Twitter. She posted videos from the sidewalks surrounding the Old Federal Building and labeled what she saw as a “riot,” even though one was not declared that evening.
In response to the escalation by federal officers on Jan. 27, nearly 500 people gathered for a general strike on Jan. 30, in solidarity with nationwide actions that day. People soon moved closer to the building’s visitor entrance as the protest outgrew its initial space. Bouferrache was, again, present.
Tensions quickly escalated, and both the Eugene and Springfield police departments were on hand, waiting to provide support.
As previously reported by DSM, around 6 p.m., the EPD’s chief, Chris Skinner, declared a riot after reports were made that protesters had “broken windows” and “breached the building.”
As soon as additional federal resources arrived from Portland, both the EPD and the SPD left the area to DHS control. At 7:23 p.m., federal agents stormed out of the building and fired chemical munitions on the crowd, which included veterans, elders, alter-abled individuals, families with children, and a few people in black bloc.
Whole Community News provided a different account of the activity that evening as witnessed by reporter Echo Sherman.“They called it a riot. But what I saw, what I witnessed, and what people felt was not chaos. It was a cry. Listen to the people who were there,” Sherman reported.
The Press Conference
On Sunday, Feb. 1, Eugene’s mayor, along with a handful of other local and state representatives, gathered together to stage an intervention.
Jumping on the “paddy wagon,” Mayor Kaarin Knudson, Governor Tina Kotek, Congressperson Val Hoyle, and Senator James Manning all backed the story based solely on the word from the routinely distrustful DHS and admonished community members for “rioting.”
Knudson began her speech by thanking her fellow representatives, and specifically thanking three groups of people.
First, “the legal observers and the neighbors. ”
They, she said, have been providing “rapid response and support” to the community, barely offering room to the real fear, suffering, and death this administration has caused before adding that these “administration’s attacks” are “an attack on us all.” She further added that the work of legal observers and support workers is “critical support to the community stability.”
Second, local law enforcement.
She thanked local law enforcement for “their work to keep people safe at the Federal Building during protests this week.” She added that “federal agencies and local police are not the same,” but gave no further explanation as to how they differ.
Finally, she thanked “all the extraordinary peaceful protesters.”
They are “not doing anything wrong,” she said, before admonishing those who protest in other ways.
“Peaceful protest does not include property damage, or vandalism, or assault, and you know this,” she said. “Those actions have real consequences, and people will be held accountable for them.”
Governor Kotek took the microphone next and she, too, encouraged people to “peacefully protest.”
“We know that the Trump Administration’s aggressive ICE tactics are creating fear. They are tearing families apart,” said Kotek. She added, “and as we have seen, taking lives and that’s wrong. It’s un-American. It’s immoral. And we as Oregonians will stand together to say no to that.”
But just as the mayor did, Kotek leaned into the narrative that the protest on Jan. 30 had been a declared riot.
“It’s also true that we can do that without breaking the law, damaging property, or putting other people at risk.” Kotek said that the Trump Administration wants chaos and division and that “we won’t give them that.”
While the governor acknowledged that “the overwhelming majority of those protests have been peaceful and lawful,” Kotek expressed “support for local law enforcement in their job to hold people accountable” for “criminal activity.”
“I want us to support our local law enforcement to keep people safe during times of protest,” she said.
Then, as if on cue, a baby began to cry.
Kotek also took the opportunity to express that ICE should be “suspended” until full investigations of “lethal force” have been carried out and the individuals involved have been held accountable.
But protesters, who are also her constituents, have been demanding ICE out of the city, county, and state—not mere suspension—as their presence and unwarranted attacks on civilians make everybody unsafe.
Next, Congresswoman Val Hoyle spoke from a place of privilege, law and order, and misinformation.
She first told the audience that she was dressed to get on an airplane as she was headed to D.C., where she said she would “vote no” on approving the DHS budget “until they replace the current rendition of what ICE has become, because it isn’t Immigration and Customs Enforcement.” Hoyle explained:
“What we are seeing is people who are here legally, who followed the rules, who might have had a paperwork error, right, who are being abducted, people who look like immigrants being abducted, being detained, being arrested for being brown, for looking like an immigrant. I am married to an immigrant. He is British. He doesn’t feel like he’s in danger because he isn’t.”
Hoyle said that she is a second-generation American whose family came here as laborers to “do the work that no one else wanted to do,” and that her “family would not be here under the current regime.” She further said that the immigration system is “broken” and “needs to be fixed,” but wanted to be clear why people were being held accountable for a “few broken windows” on Jan. 30.
“I was peacefully protesting. They were throwing tear gas. Why am I being held accountable for a couple of kids that were banging on a window?” Hoyle satirically pondered. “Because we all have to be accountable. Because we have to be disciplined. What people have said in Minnesota was that for 10 months they trained as constitutional observers so that they knew the law because if they don’t break the law, if we don’t break the law, that means they cannot gaslight us into saying that they are entitled and that they have a reason to bring more forces.”
But, just as she stated earlier, the majority of folks being detained by ICE have not broken the law. Remaining lawful and peaceful has not stopped ICE from kidnapping people from their homes, cars, and communities or from killing them.
The Guardian reported that 2025 was ICE’s deadliest year since 2004, having killed 32 people. Current reports show that an estimated 70,000 individuals are detained by ICE, as of Jan. 25, and that 74% of those individuals have no criminal record.
Eight people have died in ICE custody or by being killed in broad daylight in the street so far in 2026.
Those individuals are Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, Víctor Manuel Díaz, Parady La, Renee Nicole Good, Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz, Heber Sánchez Domínguez, and Alex Pretti.
The death of Lunas Campos was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner, while DHS maintains that he died by suicide, despite witness statements that he was “handcuffed and held down by at least five guards.” The medical examiner reported “injuries to his neck and torso” consistent with “physical restraint.”
Alberto Castañeda Mondragón reportedly suffered serious brain and head trauma at the hands of ICE. He recalls agents “pulling him from his friend’s car,” being “thrown to the ground, handcuffed and then punched and beaten with a steel baton.” He was taken to the hospital with “eight skull fractures and five life-threatening brain hemorrhages” and couldn’t even remember having a daughter as a result. Meanwhile, DHS continues to claim that he ran headfirst into a wall.
Nonetheless, all those who spoke during the press conference on Feb. 1 perpetuated the story that protesters engaged in criminal riotous activity at the Old Federal Building on Friday based on very limited evidence.
Knudson said she agreed with Chief Skinner’s riot declaration.
She reiterated that the EPD’s stance between the building and protesters was to protect “the public there” and to keep the event from escalating into deadly violence by federal officers. Knudson added that as a result of the “actions this week, there is more federal presence in the community.”
Knudson’s reasoning contradicts the explanation that Skinner gave in his videoed press release, released at 8:51 p.m. the night of the protest. In it, Skinner said the EPD was there to protect the federal building and civilian staff inside due to a lack of resources and to protect those inside.
In stark contrast to the EPD declaring a riot on anti-ICE protesters, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson demanded ICE leave the city after DHS deployed chemical ammunition on peaceful protesters, including children, on Jan. 31.
What is Known as the FBI Asks for Information
At this time, the EPD has not made any arrests stemming from the riot. Nor have they confirmed that the windows were broken by protesters. Nor that a breach occurred. There have been no photos or videos released showing protesters breaking the windows or whole bodies breaching the building; however, in the days following, footage was posted to several different social media sites that show what appears to be a federal officer smashing a window out from the inside, which corroborates many accounts from protesters and observers that were present.
The only technical “breach event” is the moment when a protester stuck his hand and cell-phone camera through a broken window — a situation that was ended by DHS.
The FBI released a single photo on Jan 31 asking for information about who broke the windows, but, to date, has not released a single still shot from the half dozen-or-so cameras installed around the building’s perimeter.
On Feb. 2, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement in response to the Jan. 30 protest, sticking to the claim that they needed to be rescued from an attack. The full statement reads as follows:
“On Friday night, 400 rioters stormed the ICE Eugene building destroying windows and did over $200,000 worth of damage to the facility. The Eugene Police Department and the Springfield Police Department responded to officers calls for help. Four rioters were arrested on charges to include assault on an officer, disorderly conduct, wearing a mask while committing a crime on federal property, and failure to comply with official signs.
On Saturday, again rioters attempted to storm the facility and threw objects at federal law enforcement to include projectiles, and an attempt return of chemical munitions. One rioter was carrying a rifle. Three rioters were arrested and cited on charges including assault on a federal officer, trespassing, creating a hazard, and disorderly conduct.
Secretary Noem has been clear: anyone who destroys federal property and assaults or obstructs law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Law and order will prevail.”
On Feb. 5, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation went to the homes of local photographers asking for footage and identification of protesters from the Jan. 30 protest.
Three days later, another video was published by a local independent photojournalist, James Anderson, on his YouTube channel, Community Matters PNW, as reported by the Eugene Weekly.
The high-definition video provides a much clearer view of an FPS officer breaking the window from inside the Old Federal Building.
Silent Springfield Misses Deadline to Sign
In Springfield, residents have been attending city council meetings, asking the mayor and council to condemn ICE’s actions and to demand that their activity cease in the city and state, all of which appears to have fallen on deaf ears.
Several public speakers voiced their concerns to the City Council during its public meeting on Dec. 1.
“The recent ICE actions are an assault to our neighbors, to our families, to my community,” one public speaker said.
“This is a moral crisis that is leaving trauma with our kids in our communities, our youth, and we need real leadership right now,” the speaker added. “And with all due respect, many of you have chosen silence. And silence is not leadership.”
The speaker demanded that the City Council take action:
“Mayor and Council, your choice is simple. Stand with us, our families of Springfield, or stand with the forces that are tearing them apart. We need your help and support, protection to be accountable and ensure that no more family members is taken from our city. And we will not stop until our voices are heard and we will keep coming and ask for support and help.”
Other speakers echoed the same sentiment throughout the public comment section of the meeting. Council responded to their remarks with empty “empathy” and made “no promises” to protect individuals from harm.
Sean Van Gordon simply told the audience that “they follow the state’s sanctuary laws,” which he said are “some of the toughest in the country.”
Springfield residents took to the rainy streets, again, on Dec. 19, to demand ICE out of the community and asked the city to declare a state of emergency to help aid individuals most impacted by ICE. The city remained silent.
On Jan. 30, Springfield residents held a rally on the steps of City Hall demanding an answer from their silent representatives.
Speakers that day included a 17-year-old high school student who remarked on their experience as DHS activity becomes increasingly violent and prevalent.
“I’m scared. My friends are scared, too. But there comes a moment where fear can’t just sit in silence anymore,” they said. “There comes a time where fear has to push us closer together to build courage and what you see right here today, this is courage.”
The student also talked about the community’s growing fear under the administration’s attacks.
“We are here because lives have already been lost,” they said. They went on to name some of the victims who have died in ICE custody, including Santos Reyes-Banegas and Gerarldo Lunas Campos.
“These are not numbers. These are people. These are families that never got their loved ones back,” they said.
The student speaker recalled five-year-old Liam Ramos detained by ICE for nearly 13 days, who was still in a concentration camp in Texas at the time of the rally. He has since been released along with his father
“I think about that kid a lot because I was five when I came to the U.S., I remember that fear coming back to Springfield, where I was born, still scared, still looking around, still holding my baby penguin backpack,” they said. “That backpack is still filled with the last clothes I had from Mexico, and when I think about the five-year-old, I know, that could have been me.”
Another speaker addressed the city’s silence.
“And to the mayor and city council. You did not just, you did not just stay quiet. You chose silence over doing what’s right. You quote Dr. King about justice, but when justice shows up on your doorstep, you choose silence over standing up for your community,” the speaker said.
They continued: “Your silence tells our community that Springfield is willing to live with ICE taking our neighbors. We expect more from you. Show us through your actions that you share our values. It’s not about political alignment anymore.”
“This is about moral alignment,” they added. “Win or lose your election. We’ll remember this moment. We will remember where you stood. We’ll remember who spoke and who stayed quiet. Leadership is not about ceremonies or photo opportunities. Leadership is about protecting your community when it’s afraid.”
At least 300 people attended the rally in Springfield, as reported by the Eugene Weekly. A caravan went to Eugene after the rally ended to continue protesting in solidarity outside the Old Federal Building. At the same time, SPD was gearing up in tactical gear to aid the EPD in crowd control efforts to protect the federal building.
On Feb. 5, Governor Kotek and 31 City Mayors, including Mayor Knudson, sent a letter to the DHS demanding that ICE operations in the city halt until full investigations into the agency’s use of lethal force have been carried out. A notably absent signature on that letter was Springfield’s Mayor, Sean Van Gordon.
DSM reached out to the mayor to find out why he was silent on the matter and received the following response:
“People in our community are scared because of recent federal enforcement actions. When families are afraid to go to school, to medical appointments, or to support local businesses, Springfield is worse off. Fear erodes trust, and trust is the foundation of a safe and healthy community.
On a personal level, I am worried about people. The stories I’ve heard over the last few months have been troubling, and they reinforce how important it is that everyone in Springfield feels safe and treated with dignity.
I believe in the importance of upholding the law. For me, that means supporting the Oregon Sanctuary Promise Act and protecting people’s constitutional rights. It means ensuring that when force is used, it is investigated impartially and transparently. Our local law enforcement agencies rely on community trust to do their jobs effectively, and that trust is damaged when federal actions are unpredictable or unaccountable. These enforcement actions have created real fear and instability in our community.
Thank you for writing and for raising your concerns. As you may know, I serve as a volunteer Mayor while also working a full‑time private‑sector job. Regional letters like this often come with very tight turnaround times, and in this case, I was at work when it came through and didn’t see it until after the deadline passed.
I encourage you to share your concerns with our federal delegation as well. They are the ones with direct authority over federal enforcement practices, and hearing from constituents matters.”
Longtime Springfield Alliance for Equity and Respect community organizer and former city council candidate Johanis Tadeo gave a statement in response to DSM’s reporting about Mayor Van Gordon’s reply:
“For months, members of the Springfield community have shown up to testify, written letters, and raised concerns about the impact of federal enforcement actions on our families. These concerns were shared publicly and repeatedly, yet no clear public stance or statement came from city leadership during that time.
This silence was especially noticeable during the mayor’s State of the City address a moment intended to acknowledge the challenges facing Springfield and outline the city’s priorities. At a time when immigrant, Latine, mixed-status families, and families of color were experiencing heightened fear avoiding school, medical care, and public spaces there was no mention of the harm being felt or the erosion of trust taking place within our community. For many residents, that omission reinforced the sense that their experiences were neither publicly recognized nor cared for.
Springfield has shown that it can lead with clarity and compassion. The City Council publicly supported Ukrainian immigrants through a street name change during a time of international crisis, and that action mattered. It demonstrated values, solidarity, and moral leadership. What has been painful for many in our community is not that support was shown elsewhere but that similar urgency, visibility, and leadership were absent when Latine and immigrant families here in Springfield were being directly impacted and living in fear.
Only after sustained pressure and public conversation did a response appear shared on social media and followed by private communication. While we acknowledge the mayor’s words expressing concern for community fear and dignity, the issue is not whether those concerns are understood privately. The issue is the absence of timely, public leadership and action when our community needed it most.
This concern is amplified by the reality that several local officials, one city councilor, the mayor Van Gordon, are positioning themselves for higher office. That raises an unavoidable question for our community, if you cannot speak with a clear, public voice about where you stand when the Latine community is being harmed now, why should we believe you will do so later?
We are left asking why the silence exists.Is it fear of constituents who support or excuse hateful rhetoric toward the Latine community? Or is it the familiar political message our community has heard for generations that if we don’t “rock the boat,” if we stay quiet and wait patiently, support will come after the election?
History has shown us otherwise. When leaders are silent now, they are silent then.
We understand that the mayoral role in Springfield is a volunteer position, and we respect the time and labor that requires. But leadership is not measured only by capacity it is measured by priorities. When there is space for public posts, symbolic actions, and commentary on other issues, but silence on an issue that has deeply and disproportionately impacted immigrant and mixed-status families locally, that silence is felt.
There were multiple opportunities for the mayor and City Council to publicly respond, to sign onto collective statements, or to clearly affirm the concerns the community has been raising. Those opportunities passed without action.
Fear does not fade in private meetings. Trust is not rebuilt behind closed doors. Our Latine community cannot support leaders who are unclear or unwilling to be clear about who they represent when it matters most.
Springfield’s families are watching. They are listening. And they deserve to know where their leaders stand.”
