Portland PD Sergeant’s Email Blames 'Counter‑Protesters' — Filed in State’s Federal Lawsuit
Oregon filed a federal lawsuit on Sept. 28, 2025 seeking to block the Trump administration’s deployment of 200 National Guard troops to Portland — a move tied to federal confrontations at an ICE facility and the administration’s characterization of the city as “war‑ravaged.” The state also submitted an internal Portland Police Bureau email from Sgt. Andrew Braun (Sept. 21, 2025) that labels three people — Rhein Amacher, Chelly Bouferrache and Katelyn Daviscourt — as “counter‑protesters,” calling them a “chronic source of police and medical calls at ICE” who “constantly return and antagonize the protesters until they are assaulted or pepper sprayed.”
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📌 Key Facts
- Oregon filed a federal lawsuit on Sept. 28, 2025, naming Attorney General Dan Rayfield, Gov. Tina Kotek and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson as plaintiffs seeking to block the federal deployment to Portland.
- President Trump posted on Truth Social framing Portland as “war‑ravaged,” said he ordered National Guard troops to the city and authorized them to use “full force, if necessary,” language echoed by administration officials and public statements.
- Secretary Pete Hegseth/DoD authorized 200 Oregon National Guard members to be federalized under Title 10 for a 60‑day deployment to Portland via a DoD memo to Gov. Kotek; a Pentagon spokesperson (Sean Parnell) confirmed Guard members were reporting for duty, while a U.S. official told NPR the Pentagon had not yet issued a formal deployment order, reflecting internal confusion.
- Federal agents began arriving in Portland and clashed with protesters outside an ICE facility; ICE officials described nightly confrontations and aggressive tactics against ICE staff (rocks, lasers, bottle rockets, doxxing, barricades), and the administration said it would surge federal resources (enhanced CBP/ICE) to protect facilities.
- A Portland Police Bureau internal email from Sgt. Andrew Braun dated Sept. 21, 2025 — filed in Oregon’s federal lawsuit — criticized three assault victims (named as Rhein Amacher, Chelly Bouferrache and Katelyn Daviscourt), calling them “counter‑protesters” and saying they “constantly return and antagonize the protesters until they are assaulted or pepper sprayed.”
- Local arrests and detentions followed protest nights: three people (Nicholas “Nick” Sortor, Son Mi Yi and Angela Davis) were booked Oct. 2, 2025 on disorderly‑conduct charges; the White House and DOJ said they were reviewing/launching investigations into at least Sortor’s detention.
- The Justice Department Civil Rights Division (led by Assistant AG Harmeet Dhillon) opened a formal probe into Portland Police Bureau practices, requesting unredacted incident reports about use of force, arrests and communications related to ICE‑facility protests.
- Legal and policy questions surround the deployments — commentators and reports cited Posse Comitatus limits and prior court rulings (including a judge’s finding about a Los Angeles deployment) as key touchpoints — and experts warn domestic Guard or military use can deter crime but may create unclear mission scope and long‑term costs.
📚 Contextual Background
- Department of Defense contingency guidance listed priority missions during a shutdown in the following order: operations to secure the U.S. Southern Border; Middle East operations; the U.S. missile defense project Golden Dome for America; depot maintenance; shipbuilding; and critical munitions.
- Congress enacted the Pay Our Military Act in 2013 to ensure military pay and allowances continued during a government shutdown.
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
Against a Unitary Executive
"The analysis criticizes recent unilateral presidential uses of force and administrative authority—typified by orders to send troops and federalize Guard units—as symptomatic of a dangerous 'unitary executive' doctrine, urging stronger legal and political checks to protect separation of powers, federalism and civil liberties."
📰 Sources (15)
Portland police sergeant appears to criticize assault victims for antagonizing anti-ICE protesters
New information:
- An internal email from Sgt. Andrew Braun (Portland Police Bureau), dated Sept. 21, 2025, criticizes three people described as "counter‑protesters" and was filed in Oregon federal court in the state's lawsuit against President Trump.
- The email names the three individuals (Rhein Amacher, Chelly Bouferrache and Katelyn Daviscourt) as victims and quotes Braun saying they "continue to be a chronic source of police and medical calls at ICE."
- Braun's email asserts the three "constantly return and antagonize the protesters until they are assaulted or pepper sprayed," and says officers had advised them to stay away.
Justice Department probes Portland Police Bureau after Trump administration bias claims
New information:
- Justice Department Civil Rights Division (led by Assistant AG Harmeet Dhillon) has launched a formal probe into Portland Police Bureau practices, per a letter sent to city officials.
- Dhillon's office requested unredacted incident reports related to use of force, arrests and communications about directions to officers responding to ICE‑facility protests, with a deadline of Oct. 10.
- DOJ said it spoke with detained journalist Nick Sortor and 'will be launching a full investigation into his arrest,' per White House press-office comments in the article.
- Dhillon posted a forceful message on X and the article quotes White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling the Sortor arrest 'extremely troubling.'
Trump admin reviewing Portland federal funding amid anti-ICE clashes, journalist's detention
New information:
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the administration is reviewing federal funding to Portland and said the president directed a review of aid that could be cut.
- Leavitt said the Department of Justice will launch a full investigation into the arrest of conservative journalist Nick Sortor, who was charged with disorderly conduct in the second degree after being detained Oct. 2, 2025.
- The White House said there will be an immediate surge of federal resources to Portland, including enhanced Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and ICE resources, and that President Trump directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to provide troops to protect facilities.
Portland police arrest conservative journalist on another night of chaotic anti-ICE clashes
New information:
- Three people — Nicholas (Nick) Sortor (27), Son Mi Yi (43) and Angela Davis (49) — were arrested and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on Oct. 2, 2025.
- Charges filed: disorderly conduct in the second degree for each arrested individual.
- Operational timeline: PPB observed fights at about 8:09 p.m.; PPB Rapid Response Team moved in and made arrests at about 11:16 p.m.; footage shows a man jumping onto federal property and being taken into custody.
ICE director says Portland facility faces violence with 'little help from local police'
New information:
- ICE Portland director Cammila Wamsley said the facility has experienced violence for 'more than 100 consecutive nights.'
- Wamsley said protesters have doxxed at least six ICE employees and have followed staff home.
- Specific tactics reported include bottle rockets striking the building, rocks shattering windows, lasers targeting officers’ eyes, paint attacks and barricades blocking vehicles.
- Operational detail: Wamsley described that the facility sometimes has as few as about 20 officers on site and that crowds can swell from ~50 to ~1,000 people within 30 minutes.
National Guard presence may deter crime, but experts warn of the long-term costs
New information:
- Criminologists cite a UK study showing uniformed, non‑police presences (police community support officers) reduced crime at hot spots, offering empirical precedent for deterrence effects.
- Experts quantify hot‑spot policing research: roughly 10% of offenders account for about 50% of violent crime, and about 10% of places account for about 50% of violent crime—suggesting targeted deployments could be more effective than blanket presence.
- On‑the‑ground detail about National Guard duties in Washington (e.g., stationed near tourist sites, picking up litter, weeding a park near the IMF) illustrating non‑policing roles Guard have filled.
- DOJ spokesperson declined to comment on whether deployments follow evidence‑based 'hot spot' strategies; the article quotes the administration's statement about making cities safe again.
- Notes President Trump's comment about using 'dangerous cities as training grounds' and expert concern such rhetoric could generate resentment or unclear mission scope.
ICE director reveals dangerous nightly Antifa 'battle' as Trump prepares federal deployment to Portland
New information:
- Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons on air: 'It's been a consistent battle every night with Antifa in Portland.'
- Lyons' on‑the‑record description of tactics: protesters bringing 'sticks, bats, shields' and 'throwing their own CS grenades' at ICE personnel.
- Lyons confirmed planning is underway for the Portland deployment and said ICE is prepared to protect its personnel if local help does not materialize.
From LA to Portland: Tracking Trump’s expansive use of the National Guard
New information:
- President Trump publicly framed broader troop uses, suggesting some 'dangerous' U.S. cities be used as 'training grounds for our military, National Guard.'
- Trump declared on social media that 'The National Guard is now in place' in Oregon and authorized troops to use 'Full Force, if necessary,' language highlighted in the report.
- Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell is quoted confirming Oregon National Guard members are 'reporting for duty, conducting training, and preparing to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other U.S. Government personnel.'
- Article explicitly links the Portland activation to a broader pattern of recent deployments (thousands to California in June and to Washington, D.C. in August), framing it as part of an expansive administration strategy.
National Guard now in place for Oregon amid ‘chaos, death and destruction’: Trump
New information:
- Oregon Military Department memo confirms 200 service members will be mobilized under Title 10 for operations in the Portland area.
- Memo author Brig. Gen. Alan R. Gronewold instructed service members about the command relationship, public posture, and social‑media cautions.
- Trump’s public Truth Social message framed the deployment as intended to end 'Chaos, Death, and Destruction' and said federal law‑enforcement officers were being attacked by 'ANTIFA and the Radical Left Anarchists.'
Where things stand with Trump's National Guard deployments
New information:
- Attorney General Pam Bondi said a federal task force is operational in Memphis (Bondi did not specify whether National Guard troops were included).
- Illinois officials say President Trump is seeking to send about 100 troops to Chicago.
- Oregon National Guard reported it is working to comply with Trump's call for roughly 200 troops in Portland.
- Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry requested up to 1,000 troops to help with crime in cities including New Orleans, Shreveport and Baton Rouge.
- Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe authorized his state Guard to assist with administrative/logistical duties at ICE processing facilities after DHS requested support.
- The Home Rule (D.C.)/Posse Comitatus legal distinction and a U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer ruling that the Los Angeles deployment violates the Posse Comitatus Act are highlighted as key legal touchpoints.
At gathering of military leaders, Trump hints at deployment in U.S. cities
New information:
- PBS frames the president’s remarks at the gathering as a broader vision that could include domestic deployments, providing context for later specific orders by the administration (it describes the hinting/vision rather than announcing new city deployments).
News Wrap: Pentagon confirms plans to send 200 National Guard members to Portland
New information:
- Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell provided an on‑the‑record confirmation and quote about the deployment.
- PBS reports Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said his administration learned of plans to deploy 100 troops to Illinois to protect ICE personnel and facilities.
3 things to know about Trump's plan to send troops to Portland and Memphis
New information:
- President Trump posted on Truth Social saying he ordered troops to Portland and authorized 'Full Force, if necessary,' and named Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to provide troops.
- A U.S. official told NPR the Pentagon had not yet issued a deployment order and learned of Trump's request from media, indicating confusion between the White House and Pentagon.
- Oregon Public Broadcasting reported the Department of Defense called 200 Oregon National Guard members into federal service for a 60-day deployment via a DoD memo to Governor Tina Kotek.
- Mayor Keith Wilson publicly disputed the need for troops, saying 'the necessary troops needed for the city is zero,' and Portland and Oregon officials moved to file a federal lawsuit alleging overreach.
- NPR reports federal officers had confronted protesters at Portland's ICE facility and that protests continued into the night, and that federal troops are also expected in Memphis this week.
Oregon sues over Trump admin's 'war-ravaged Portland' National Guard troop deployment
New information:
- Oregon filed a federal lawsuit on Sept. 28, 2025 seeking to block the deployment; plaintiffs named include AG Dan Rayfield, Gov. Tina Kotek and Mayor Keith Wilson.
- Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the federally controlled Oregon National Guard to station 200 troops in Portland for 60 days to 'protect federal property.'
- President Trump posted on Truth Social calling for 'all necessary Troops' to 'protect war‑ravaged Portland'; federal agents began arriving over the weekend and at least one clash occurred outside a Portland ICE facility.
Things to know about federal law enforcement activity in Chicago, Portland, Memphis
New information:
- Confirms President Trump directed deployment of 200 National Guard troops to Portland and quotes his social‑media language framing the city as 'War ravaged'.
- Provides immediate governor quote (Tina Kotek) calling the President’s description a false narrative meant to spur conflict.