Police declare riot at Portland ICE facility

Tense demonstrations outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland were declared a riot Saturday as federal officers once again faced off with protesters.

Officers with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security detained at least one person after demonstrators used objects to break through a door at the building.

The gathering at the ICE building came as a sharp contrast to the numerous peaceful protests that took place across the state earlier in the day.

More than 10,000 people filled Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland as part of the nationwide “No Kings” protest. The march was organized in opposition to the military parade taking place in Washington D.C. on Saturday.

Related: ‘No Kings’ rallies draw thousands across the Pacific Northwest

The ICE building has been the site of persistent protests in Portland since Trump took office, but the demonstrations have escalated over the past week, spurred by Trump’s decision to deploy thousands of National Guard officers and hundreds of U.S. Marines to Los Angeles in response to protests there.

Late Saturday, after the “No Kings” demonstrations had largely concluded, protesters in Portland clashed with federal officers outside the ICE building. Groups chanted slogans and taunted officers, and at times threw objects — mostly water bottles and at least one rock — at the building.

DHS officers shot crowd control munitions from the roof and from a driveway entrance to the facility, further escalating tensions as the protest continued into the evening.

At one point, protesters attempted to force their way into the facility, eventually breaking through a glass door with a pole-like object. Protesters then moved back up the street as federal officers wearing tactical gear stepped out to guard the entrance, firing tear gas, flashbangs and acoustic weapons.

The chemical munitions lingered in the air, coating several surfaces near the building.

Related: Portland police square off with protesters overnight as ICE demonstrations intensify

DHS officers, including some that came in from out of state, detained at least one person outside the building. It was not immediately clear who that person was or if they were charged with a crime.

Officers with the Portland Police Bureau arrived after, declaring the demonstration a riot shortly after 6:30 p.m.

Over the evening, a back-and-forth between federal officers and protesters developed.

During stretches of calm, the crowd would move toward the ICE facility. Some briefly moved to mariachi music played over a small speaker, at times their dancing feet sent empty tear gas canisters clanging against the asphalt.

As demonstrators got closer, DHS officers would use tear gas to move them back.

Shortly after 8 p.m., a surge of Portland police officers came in, including the bureau’s Rapid Response Unit, and began arresting protesters. It’s unclear how many people had been arrested as of Saturday evening.

On the facade of the ICE building, demonstrators put up a sign that reads “Free OJM.”

O-J-M is the pseudonym of an asylum seeker who was arrested by ICE officers on June 2. O-J-M, who is trans, was detained by federal officers at Portland Immigration Court, where she was attending a mandatory hearing in her asylum case. She was later moved to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington.

Prior to Saturday’s broader demonstrations, federal workers were observed boarding up windows at the ICE building.