Federal Lawyers Acknowledge Deployment Errors to Portland ICE Facility
On Monday, federal government lawyers acknowledged errors in statements made to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the federal presence in Portland. These declarations were related to the operational surge intended to protect the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in the city.
Errors Acknowledged by Federal Lawyers
Robert Cantu, the deputy director of the Federal Protective Service Region 10, clarified that 115 was the number of deployments made to Portland, not the count of individual officers dispatched. In reality, only 86 Federal Protective Service officers from various regions were sent to the site to maintain a 24/7 operational tempo since June.
Misrepresentation of Facts
In their recent brief, the federal government corrected another statement. It initially claimed that nearly a quarter of the agency’s entire force had been reassigned to Portland due to ongoing unrest. However, U.S. Department of Justice attorney Andrew M. Bernie revealed that just about 13% of the agency’s inspectors were redirected to the city.
- 115 deployments claimed by the government
- Actual number of officers sent: 86
- Number of inspectors reassigned: 13%
Legal Proceedings and Future Implications
Due to the misrepresented facts, the state of Oregon has requested the 9th Circuit to overturn its ruling from October 20, which favored the Trump administration. Lawyers noted that only a fraction of the 115 officers ever operated in Portland simultaneously, with a maximum of 31 officers present from July 15 to August 12.
The three-judge panel had previously authorized the mobilization of 200 Oregon National Guard members for 60 days as a response to protests at the ICE office. This ruling remains on hold as the appellate court considers a vote on whether to revisit the decision. The federal government described the redeployment of federal officers as unsustainable.
Upcoming Trial
A three-day trial is scheduled to begin on Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut. This trial will address the merits of the lawsuit filed by the states of Oregon and California, which challenges any federal deployment of the National Guard to Oregon.
