Antifa targets news crews with DIY weapons, racial slurs outside Portland ICE facility

A local news company in Portland, Oregon, said that masked protesters previously chased one of their crews out of the ICE facility Antifa occupation in an attempt to prevent the network from covering the ongoing demonstrations.

According to KATU News, one of their crews had arrived on site after dark and was confronted by "masked individuals," also known as Antifa. The agitators allegedly yelled racial slurs at the crew and then chased them back to their car while carrying sticks as weapons, the network said in an article published on July 11.

"KATU's crews have visited the camps on various occasions. During daytime visits, the majority of protesters have appeared welcoming and eager to talk, although some have taken issue with cameras being present. On one occasion, when a KATU crew was on site after dark, some masked individuals at the camp yelled racial slurs at the crew and chased them back to the car while carrying sticks," KATU reported.

It's unclear if the network filed a police report. The Post Millennial reached out to the Portland Police Bureau for more information. It's a common occurrence for members of the press to be targeted by Antifa while covering direct actions, as the far-left extremist group considers cell phones and cameras to be "cops" and does not want any potential crimes to be recorded.

Other media outlets, including The Post Millennial, have also been physically confronted by the agitators while reporting from outside the ICE facility.

Furthermore, at least two independent photographers have been targeted by the gang of anti-ICE militants, forcing one to brandish a knife in self-defense and another to shred an agitator's sign in two after it was used to harass and block the photographer's view.

The area around the ICE facility in Southwest Portland, located at 4310 SW Macadam Avenue, has been under siege by protesters since early June, when Antifa-affiliated individuals formed a 24/7 occupation to protest the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations. More than 20 individuals have received federal criminal charges for alleged offenses committed during the demonstrations, including assaulting federal police officers with deadly weapons, arson, blinding officers with high-powered lasers, and setting fires near the facility after using objects to trap federal employees inside the building.

Additionally, a federal investigation has been launched into two Antifa-affiliated groups who have been accused of doxxing Portland ICE agents by posting photographs of agents' faces on flyers along with their names and home addresses.

The Department of Homeland Security reported on Thursday that attacks on ICE agents and federal law enforcement partners assisting with immigration enforcement operations have increased by 830 percent since President Trump took office.

Border Czar Tom Homan announced last week that he would be traveling to Portland in response to the ongoing riots, and vowed to "flood the zone" with ICE agents, saying immigration enforcement operations will "double and triple" in the self-proclaimed sanctuary city as a result of the attacks on ICE. It's unclear when Homan plans to arrive in Portland.