Tensions flared in Eugene, Oregon, on Tuesday afternoon when a protest outside a federal office building escalated into a direct confrontation with authorities, resulting in multiple arrests.
According to local reports, the demonstration began around 2 p.m. as anti-ICE activists gathered outside the federal building that houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices. They were soon joined by a group of antifa members who had traveled from Portland, transforming what started as a protest into a more aggressive action.
Witnesses say demonstrators pounded on the building’s doors and windows while chanting anti-ICE slogans. Some individuals targeted federal employees directly, shouting taunts such as “here, piggy piggy.” Others scrawled anti-ICE messages in chalk across the building’s exterior.
The situation grew tense enough that employees reportedly had to avoid the main exits. “The domestic terrorist group is posted up at the entrances and exits, pounding on doors and windows. Sources inside say employees are having to find alternative exits,” journalist Katie Daviscourt of The Post Millennial wrote in a post on X.
Authorities intervened after several hours, dispersing the crowd and taking some protesters into custody. Officials have not yet released the total number of arrests or details about potential charges.
The incident underscores the continued volatility surrounding immigration enforcement and federal facilities in the Pacific Northwest—long a flashpoint for clashes between activists, far-left groups, and federal authorities.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., police moved in to detain two demonstrators, deploying pepper spray against another in the process. The show of force further enraged the remaining protesters, some of whom began hurling traffic cones at the federal building. Journalist Katie Daviscourt later shared video footage of the arrests, writing that “Antifa terrorists and far-left extremists have been attempting to siege the building.”
After one demonstrator hurled a road construction sign at the building, officers pursued and detained the individual. According to Eugene police, protesters also threw objects at Federal Protective Service agents and caused damage to federal property.
Journalist Katie Daviscourt described the incident as “the first Antifa domestic terrorist arrests in U.S. history.” The arrests came just days after President Donald Trump formally designated antifa as a terrorist organization.
Eugene police have faced scrutiny in recent months due to Oregon state law and city policy, which prohibit local authorities from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the Register-Guard.
The department came under fire after a July 1 protest, when critics alleged that officers had provided support to ICE. However, a subsequent review found no evidence of wrongdoing.
“The evidence clearly shows a police presence at the scene, but this in and of itself is not a violation of the relevant statute, policies, procedures, and regulations,” the review concluded.
