Members of the “Occupy” movement are finding out very quickly that federal authorities aren’t as tolerant as New York City and Portland officials when it comes to unauthorized occupation camps on federal property.
Authorities have warned the dozen or so protesters currently “occupying” Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in downtown Portland, Oregon (of course) that they are trespassing on federal land and will face federal charges if and when they are arrested.
“Individuals who continue to obstruct the entrance of this federal facility will be subject to arrest and prosecution in federal court,” read a leaflet passed to members of “Occupy ICE” on Monday. “It is unlawful under federal law to obstruct the entrances, foyers, lobbies, corridors, offices and/or parking lots of federal facilities.”
Occupy ICE has formed a “tent city” blocking the entrance and much of the area around the Portland ICE offices, but has yet to take any other action against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, preferring apparently to “draw attention” to the problem of enforcing America’s immigration laws by relocating their lives for a handful of days.
ICE officials have been working from other offices since the protest began last Tuesday,
The problem is, federal authorities believe members of Portland’s Antifa group may be camped out among the more peaceful Occupy elements, and that the situation could explode at any time, particularly in light of other incidents where members of the Trump Administration were shooed out of restaurants, shouted at, and threatened.
Federal agents aren’t likely to take an armed stand against Occupy ICE if they don’t have to, however. There are children and elderly in the camp, and the camp exists with the support of Portland’s mayor, who, last week, tweeted his own derision for immigration enforcement.