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Occupy ICE

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Occupy ICE

Occupy ICE was a series of protests, modeled on the Occupy Movement, that emerged in the United States in reaction to the Trump administration family separation policy, with a goal of disrupting operations at several U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) locations.

The protests began in Portland, Oregon, on June 17, 2018, under the moniker OccupyICEPDX after a rally against President Donald Trump's "Zero Tolerance Policy" grew into a vigil and occupation, which resulted in an ICE detention center there being closed indefinitely. Protests have taken place at ICE headquarters in New York City, and at facilities in Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Louisville, Washington state, and Utah.

The movement arose following media reports of more than 2000 children being separated from their parents after the parents were arrested for illegally crossing into the U.S. via Mexico. The family separation was a result of a "zero tolerance" policy enacted by Donald Trump in April 2018 as part of the Trump administration's immigration reform efforts.

While the protests have been likened to the Occupy Wall Street movement, the first series of Occupy ICE protests seen in Portland were unplanned and organic. The first camp in Portland grew from a rally organized by Jacob Bureros of Direct Action Alliance with support from local immigrant rights groups and attended by local leaders, including former Portland NAACP head and current Portland City Councilor Jo Ann Hardesty and Oregon State Representative Chris Gorsek. A vigil to honor people who had suffered from the policies grew from participants in the rally and march who stayed and talked about how to potentially have more of an impact.

On June 17, 2018, hundreds of protesters assembled outside of an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon, at a rally called by Jacob Bureros of Direct Action Alliance. Following the rally, a group of activists decided to hold a 24-hour vigil to honor the victims of the "Zero Tolerance Policy" under the moniker OccupyICEPDX. Following confrontations between ICE agents and protesters, which were broadcast by Direct Action Alliance on Facebook Live on June 18 and 19, a much larger group of people had gathered outside of the location by the 20th of June, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced they would close indefinitely following the city police's refusal to respond to calls for assistance by immigration agents who claimed to be in danger. Law enforcement officers working for the federal government, including Federal Police and ICE agents, moved on demonstrators in the early hours of June 28, arresting multiple activists.

The protest camp remained after the attempted sweep by law enforcement, which only succeeded in clearing the front entrance to the facility; it has been described by federal officials as a "very, very peaceful" protest camp. The camp had a well-stocked kitchen with food and supplies being donated by local residents and many prominent local businesses; onsite child care was available along with basic medical care and even a massage and meditation tent. A 6-ft wooden barricade was constructed by the community to protect the camp from the street. Near to the camp, the Department of Homeland Security built a separate barricade, with federal police erecting a metal fence around the ICE building on July 2.

It was reported on July 5 that three members of the protesters would consume only Gatorade until Portland officials removed ICE from the city in a self-proclaimed hunger strike.

Senator Bill Cassidy called for Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler to step down over the protests. President Donald Trump also criticized Wheeler.

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