Conservative journalist Nick Sortor, left, was arrested Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, during protests outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore. On the right, two men were seen fighting near the facility. (X/@yogashortsss; X/@KatieDaviscourt)
Since early June, "Antifa terrorists have laid siege to the ICE field office in South Portland," Leavitt said Friday.
"These radical left-wing lunatics have violently breached the ICE facility by using a stop sign as a battering ram, hurled explosives and other projectiles at law enforcement, repeatedly assault and dox officers, berate their law-abiding neighbors and have even rolled out a guillotine in front of the ICE facility," she told reporters.
Leavitt said Sortor was "taken into custody by the Portland police after he was ambushed by Antifa and was defending himself from these assaults."
"But instead of arresting these violent mob members, night after night after night, who are ravaging this community, the police arrested a journalist who was there trying to document the chaos," she added.
ICE DIRECTOR SAYS PORTLAND FACILITY FACES VIOLENCE WITH 'LITTLE HELP FROM LOCAL POLICE'
A protester is sprayed by a federal law enforcement officer outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP/Jenny Kane)
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"As with all such situations, arrests are based on observed behavior and probable cause — not political affiliation or public profile. Formal charges will be determined by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office," the spokesperson added. "PPB remains committed to protecting public safety, upholding the rights of all individuals to lawfully assemble, and enforcing the law impartially."
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-admin-reviewing-portland-federal-funding-amid-anti-ice-clashes-journalists-detention