A federal judge has denied the Oregon attorney general’s motion to restrict federal law enforcement activities in Portland, Oregon.
U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman issued his decision on Friday.
Oregon argued that federal law enforcement officials were violating protesters’ constitutional rights and snatching them off the streets.
The judge concluded that while the state’s attorneys provided evidence of two interactions with federal police that may have been considered improper, that evidence alone was not enough to allow the motion to stand.
“The State has presented just one example of an arrest without probable cause and one example of an unreasonable seizure,” he said. “It has presented no evidence of any official orders or policies and has presented no evidence that these allegedly illegal seizures are a widespread practice.”
In recent days, federal agents have established a presence in Portland in order to protect a federal facility from rioters. The inspectors general from the Justice Department and Homeland Security Department announced on Thursday they will investigate the actions by federal law enforcement in both Portland and Washington, D.C.
Protests in Portland have persisted since the death of George Floyd in late May.
