Hundreds of protesters were at the scene. At one point, "dozens of people with shields, helmets, gas masks, umbrellas, bats, and hockey sticks approached the doors" of the courthouse until federal officers came out and dispersed them, the Portland police statement said.
The protesters later lit a fire within the portico of the courthouse, said Portland police.
The department said its officers were not involved in any crowd-control measures, did not fire tear gas and "were not present during any of the activity described."
Other people added wood and debris to the fire to make it larger. Federal agents came out of the courthouse, "dispersed the crowd and extinguished the fire," the statement said.
Speaking on CNN, Portland's Democratic Mayor said federal officers "are not wanted here."
"We haven't asked them here. In fact, we want them to leave," Ted Wheeler said.
Oregon Attorney-General Ellen Rosenblum sued Homeland Security and the Marshals Service in federal court, alleging that unidentified federal agents grabbed people from Portland's streets "without warning or explanation, without a warrant, and without providing any way to determine who is directing this action."
Rosenblum said she was seeking a temporary restraining order to "immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians."
Top leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives said yesterday that they were "alarmed" by the Trump Administration's tactics against protesters in Portland and other cities, including Washington, D.C. They've called on federal inspectors general to investigate.
"This is a matter of utmost urgency," they wrote in a letter to the inspectors general of the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.
The signers were three leading Democrats: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-New York; Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi; and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-New York.
The Democratic lawmakers are seeking an investigation "into the use of federal law enforcement agencies by the Attorney General and the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security to suppress First Amendment protected activities in Washington, D.C., Portland, and other communities across the United States."
Trump has decried the demonstrations. His Homeland Security secretary, Chad Wolf, labelled the protesters "lawless anarchists" during a visit to the city last week.
"We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it," Trump tweeted yesterday. "Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!"
On Sunday, Portland police said protesters broke into the building of the Portland Police Association labour union that represents officers. Dumpster fires were also set and fencing was moved and transformed into barricades, police said.
It was not immediately clear whether anyone was arrested or detained during the protest that started yesterday.
- AP
