Portland Police Arrest Conservative Journalist During Anti-ICE Protest, Sparking DOJ Investigation

Portland Police arrested conservative journalist Nick Sortor while he was covering anti-ICE protests outside of an agency facility Thursday night.

The 27-year-old told Fox News he was “being jumped by Antifa thugs” and trying to seek safety by going to the officers before he was arrested. Sortor, who was among three individuals arrested during clashes, was charged with disorderly conduct and ultimately released.

“This was as big of a surprise to me as it was to everybody else,” Sortor said. “All of a sudden, you know, I’m being jumped by Antifa thugs.”

“I get back up, I stumble away and go back toward cops where I think, you know, at least, all right, well, maybe that’ll be a safer place for me to go … never suspected that I was going to be the target of the arrest, that they were coming in to me,” he said.

“And when they put me into handcuffs, the first thing that went to my mind wasn’t, ‘Oh, you’re being arrested.’ It’s, ‘Oh, they’re trying to help you and get you out of here and make it look like they’re doing something.’ Because they weren’t telling me what they were doing. They weren’t telling me I was under arrest. They weren’t telling me what I was being charged with. And it took over an hour for me to find out what I was charged with,” Sortor claimed.

Hey @PortlandPolice: you made a big freaking mistake.

You PROVED what we’ve all been saying for years: you’re CORRUPT and CONTROLLED by vioIent Antifa thugs who terrorize the streets

You thought arresting me would make me shut up and go away. You couldn’t have been more wrong.… pic.twitter.com/Dz8oJ3V8NP

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 3, 2025

Following Sortor’s release from police custody, Attorney General Pam Bondi “personally called” him to share that she “has ORDERED a full investigation, led by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, of the Portland Police Bureau, following my wrongful arrest last night,” he said on X.

“You made a big freaking mistake,” Sortor wrote on X. “You PROVED what we’ve all been saying for years: you’re CORRUPT and CONTROLLED by [violent] Antifa thugs who terrorize the streets.”

“You thought arresting me would make me shut up and go away. You couldn’t have been more wrong. Stay tuned,” he added.

Portland: it’s FO time. Buckle up. https://t.co/lp4RJ2QSi7

— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) October 3, 2025

Portland Police said that they “observed two men fighting near the ICE building driveway” around 8:09 p.m. local time.

The officers called in “additional resources and officers were responding when the fight ended following one participant being knocked to the ground,” according to the Portland Police. Both parties involved were briefly detained before being released by the police.

More fights broke out as the night went on. Around 11:16 p.m., authorities arrested three people, including Sortor, and charged them with disorderly conduct, police said.

President Donald Trump deployed troops to Portland last month to protect the city and any ICE facilities under attack by far-left Antifa and other domestic terrorists.

“At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect war-ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” the president recently posted on Truth Social.

“I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary,” he added. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The State of Oregon and the City of Portland have tried to thwart Trump’s effort by filing a lawsuit against it.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek (D) argued Sunday that the deployment is unnecessary.

“When the president and I spoke yesterday, I told him in plain language that there is no insurrection or threat to public safety that necessitates military intervention in Portland or any other city in our state,” Kotek said.

“Despite this — and all evidence to the contrary — he has chosen to disregard Oregonians’ safety and ability to govern ourselves. This is not necessary. And it is unlawful. And it will make Oregonians less safe,” she added.