Overview

• Federal officers took three people into custody outside the South Portland ICE facility on Oct. 9, and Portland police reported two additional arrests as rooftop agents fired pepper balls during tense moments.
• The inflatable-costume tactic has expanded into a nightly spectacle with frogs, unicorns and other characters, aided by an organizer handing out dozens of suits under an effort dubbed Operation Inflation.
• A viral Oct. 2 video showed an agent directing chemical spray into the air vent of a frog suit worn by protester Seth Todd, who has continued demonstrating and says the costumes underscore nonviolence.
• During appellate arguments, Justice Department lawyers labeled protesters violent, while Oregon’s attorney general’s office called that portrayal untethered from reality; judges signaled skepticism of the lower court’s block but set no timeline for a decision.
• A widely shared photo of supposed Portland ‘ICE fishing’ with doughnuts was confirmed to be from a Toronto protest years ago, as the demonstrations also generated cultural moments including a costumed wedding outside the ICE building.