ICE agents accuse Oregon mayor of abetting 'Abolish ICE' protesters
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Portland, Ore. Mayor Ted Wheeler was blasted by ICE agents. (Facebook/AP)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Monday accused an Oregon mayor of violating the Constitution after emboldening “Abolish ICE” protesters by ordering the police to stand down and openly expressing support for their cause.
The accusations were outlined in a cease-and-desist letter sent to Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, saying he actively encouraged the protesters and their cause, while making sure Portland’s police wouldn’t crack down on them, thus creating “a zone of terror and lawlessness,” the Washington Times reported.
“When the mayor gave the order that police would not support ICE employees trapped in the facility, he turned the lives of our employees over to an angry mob,” Chris Crane, president of the National ICE Council, the organization that sent the cease-and-desist letter, told the newspaper.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"When the mayor gave the order that police would not support ICE employees trapped in the facility, he turned the lives of our employees over to an angry mob."
The letter demands Wheeler to make an apology and ensure the city’s police will protect all citizens in need, including those working for a federal agency. A letter advises that the city could be sued if the mayor’s response isn’t adequate.
“The mayor stated publicly that he supported the protests, which were supposed to be about protecting immigrant families. But what about the moms and dads that we had working in that building? What about their kids?” Crane continued. “These are questions that we’ll be expecting the mayor and city of Portland to be answering in the days to come.”
PORTLAND ICE FACILITY PROTEST CAMP BROKEN UP BY FEDS AS CROWDS SHOUT ‘NOT RACIST POLICE!’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Portland is among the main centers of the nationwide movement to abolish the federal immigration authority, an idea that is increasingly being embraced by top mainstream Democrats in Congress, including U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
The city mayor’s support for the movement led to the occupation of a building being used by ICE, harassment of some ICE employees, and the creation of a camp on a city’s land.
“To all demonstrators: I urge you to keep up this effort,” Wheeler said in a press conference last week, according to The Oregonian, though advising protesters to vacate the ICE field office and the camp before the police disbands them.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He also said that the encampment, which has been branded as a biohazard by authorities, “deters from the main message” of getting rid of the immigration agency.
PORTLAND, ORE. TO CLEAN UP ‘DISGUSTING’ OCCUPY ICE CAMP, CALLING IT BIOHAZARD
Piles of debris awaited cleanup at an "Occupy ICE" camp in Portland, Ore., after police cleared out protesters earlier this week. (KPTV-TV/FOX 12)
ICE officers alleged that some agency employees were denied assistance from the police to deal with protesters, including a disabled Marine veteran who was allegedly confronted by an activist as he was picking up his daughter from a camp.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to the Times, the veteran was interning at the ICE office on the first day of the demonstrations against the agency. After the demonstrators surrounded the ICE field office, he managed to escape but his car was scratched and tires slashed. He was later allegedly followed by the activists, yet his calls for help were reportedly ignored by the police, who told him that they are staying out of the situation.
"When it comes to basic police protection that should transcend politics ... It comes down to life and death. [Mayor Wheeler] was irresponsible.”
“When it comes to basic police protection that should transcend politics,” another ICE employee said about the veteran’s experience, blaming the city’s mayor. “It comes down to life and death. He was irresponsible.”
The President of the National ICE Council urged the Trump administration to do more to defend the federal immigration agency.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“For now, a handful of ICE officers and staff are taking this mayor and city on all by ourselves,” he told the Times. “We’ll fight alone for the rule of law and safety of our employees nationwide if that’s what it takes, but someone on our side would be a welcome change moving forward.”