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The Justice Department is launching an investigation into the Portland Police Bureau’s “questionable” practices amid accusations by the Trump administration that the force has acted with bias during weekslong anti-ICE protests.
Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, announced the probe on Friday, citing orders from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“We will not leave the people of Portland at the whims of criminals and woke cops. Govern yourselves accordingly!” she wrote on X.
PORTLAND POLICE ARREST CONSERVATIVE JOURNALIST ON ANOTHER NIGHT OF CHAOTIC ANTI-ICE CLASHES
Federal agents face off with protesters outside the ICE building in Portland, Oregon, on September 28, following President Trump’s order to deploy military troops to protect ICE facilities. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)
In a letter dated Friday to Portland City Attorney Robert Taylor and Police Chief Bob Day, Dhillon cited concerns about the police response to several incidents, including the arrest of a conservative journalist and police actions allegedly limiting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) use of its Portland facility.
Dhillon’s office requested unredacted incident reports related to the use of force, arrests, and other actions, as well as communications regarding directions given to police officers responding to protests at ICE facilities within the past 30 days.
Dhillon requested that her office be provided with the materials no later than Oct. 10.
The city received the inquiry while its lawyers were in court attempting to stop the deployment of National Guard troops to help protect federal property.
ICE DIRECTOR SAYS PORTLAND FACILITY FACES VIOLENCE WITH ‘LITTLE HELP FROM LOCAL POLICE’
“We are still reviewing this inquiry and do not have a comment at this time on specific requests lodged by the federal government,” the city said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “What we can say is this: Mayor Wilson has full faith in the Portland Police Bureau’s commitment to protecting public safety, upholding the rights of all individuals to lawfully assemble, and impartially enforcing the law.”
A composite image shows federal officers moving through tear gas during protests outside Portland’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. The Trump administration is launching a probe into the Portland Police Bureau’s response to the chaotic protests. (X/@KatieDaviscourt; AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Portland has seen nightly protests over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions. Some have turned chaotic, with protesters clashing with authorities.
The Trump administration announced a review Friday of federal funding to the city.
U.S. Border Patrol Agents detain a demonstrator during a protest outside of the ICE headquarters in south Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2025. (Reuters/Carlos Barria)
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The review comes after conservative journalist Nick Sortor was taken into custody late Thursday night while documenting the protests in Portland—something Leavitt described as an “extremely troubling incident.” She said the Department of Justice spoke with Sortor Friday morning and “will be launching a full investigation into his arrest.”
“This incident is part of a troubling trend in Portland, where left-wing mobs believe they get to decide who can visit and live in their city. It is not their city; it is the American people’s city, and President Trump is going to restore that,” Leavitt said. “I just spoke with the president about this, and he has directed his team here at the White House to begin reviewing aid that can potentially be cut to Portland. We will not fund states that allow anarchy.”