Protesters in US City of Portland Attack Federal Officers at Immigration Office, Police Say

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – A group of about 200 protesters in Portland clashed with federal agents outside a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in a continuation of unrest that began nearly 3 months earlier, the city's Police Bureau said in a press release on Thursday.

“Many in the crowd carried shields, wore helmets, gas masks, and body armour,” the release said.

“As Federal Protection Officers stood outside of the ICE building, people were seen flashing lasers at their eyes. Others in the crowd were seen throwing projectiles such as eggs, bottles, and rocks at the Federal Protection Officers.”

Police arrested 11 protesters while managing to disperse the crowd as the night wore on, with one officer suffering a leg injury from a thrown rock, the release said.

Protests erupted in Portland and other US cities following the May 25 killing of an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, in police custody in the city of Minneapolis.

Nationwide unrest has escalated following last weekend's shooting of another Black man, Jacob Blake, in the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Police have arrested a white 17-year-old police admirer who shot and killed two protesters and seriously wounded another during the unrest.

Wednesday marked the fourth consecutive night of protests in Kenosha, however, police reported smaller and mostly peaceful crowds.