Thousands tear-gassed at South Portland ICE protest, councilor and mayor demand agency leave
Jan 29, 2026 · South Portland, ME
Thousands of protesters, including union members and families with children, marched to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in South Portland on Saturday to oppose immigration enforcement. Federal agents deployed tear gas, pepper balls, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades against the crowd, including children, after some protesters crossed onto the building's property. Portland City Councilor Mitch Green was tear-gassed and called for the abolition of ICE and DHS and prosecution of federal agents. Protester Malena Marvin, also tear-gassed, stated "This is like the big moral question of our time. Are we gonna let secret police kill people right in front of us?" and credited organized labor for the large turnout. Former OregonLive reporter Erin Hoover Barnett described the scene as terrifying, witnessing parents frantically tending to children in strollers and people on motorized carts struggling to escape the gas. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson characterized the demonstration as peaceful and called for ICE to leave the city, saying federal agents had "lost all legitimacy" through their use of violence.
Sources
More incidents in Maine
- Cambodian man detained by ICE while working at Portland, Maine marketAug 18, 2026 · Portland, ME
- Maine contractor detained seven months after traffic stop returns home with green cardAug 16, 2026 · Portland, ME
- Husband and wife arrested by ICE outside Cumberland County courthouse in PortlandAug 12, 2026 · Portland, ME
- MaineHealth nurse with pending asylum claim arrested by ICE at Portland JetportJul 30, 2026 · Portland, ME
- ICE detentions surge in Maine weeks before Biddeford shootingJul 17, 2026 · Maine, ME
- Colombian delivery driver fatally shot by ICE officer in mistaken Maine traffic stopJul 17, 2026 · Biddeford, ME