Oregon ICE Protesters Face Charges After Officers Assaulted and Property Blocked

Ongoing protests near a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in South Portland this week have resulted in six more arrests after protesters committed various offenses, including assaulting federal officers and creating a hazard on federal property.

Law Enforcement Catches Up To Portland ICE Protesters

After chaos erupted near the ICE Building in Portland after the ‘No Kings’ rally ended, protest gatherings at the building continued throughout the week.

Several hundred people gathered near the ICE office on Tuesday, where protesters have repeatedly targeted the building and various federal law enforcement officers with mortar fireworks, rocks, bricks, glass bottles, signs, and makeshift shields for more than a week.

At about 6:38 pm Tuesday, federal officers on site were told six official vehicles were en route and needed to enter the property via a vehicle gate. As the crowd blocked the gate, officers issued warnings and asked the group to move. Afterward, federal officers opened the vehicle gate and advanced on the crowd to clear the driveway for the arriving vehicles.

Two defendants- Samuel Tate Berry, 29, who has recently resided in Gearhart and Seaside, Oregon, and Kelso, Washington, and Juniper Perry Weed, 21, of Jackson, Michigan, failed to comply with the officers’ directions and, while being placed under arrest, assaulted officers.

Later that evening, a crowd blocked the building’s vehicle gate again, and after being warned a second time, they were cleared so law enforcement vehicles could help the vehicles exit the property.

At approximately 10:55 p.m., as police were clearing a path, defendants Andrew James Beason, 53, of Beaverton, Oregon, and Nokomis Lee, 22, of Grand Ronde, Oregon, failed to obey lawful orders issued by law enforcement.

During the same incident, Eduardo Diaz Guardado, 22, of Vancouver, Washington, was seen with a high-powered laser pointer that he pointed at a federal officer, striking the officer in the eye and temporarily blinding him.

On Wednesday evening, as several dozen individuals gathered at the South Portland ICE office, defendant Liam Harry Houpis, 22, of Vancouver, was observed using a drill and screws on plywood doors affixed to the building’s exterior at about 10:20 pm. Houpis was trying to prevent federal officers from leaving the building.

The six defendants made their first appearances in federal court before a U.S. Magistrate Judge yesterday on the following misdemeanor charges:

• Samuel Tate Berry: Assaulting a federal officer and failure to comply with official signs and directions.
• Juniper Perry Weed: Assaulting a federal officer and failure to comply with official signs and directions.
• Eduardo Diaz Guardado: Assaulting a federal officer.
• Andrew James Beason: Failing to obey a lawful order.
• Nokomis Lee: Failing to obey a lawful order.
• Liam Harry Houpis: Creating a hazard on federal property.

The six were released on conditions pending future court proceedings.