First responders in Portland, Oregon, were reportedly delayed in transporting an injured protester from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility to hospital because federal agents stood in front of the ambulance and refused to let it leave, according to confidential reports obtained by local newspaper Willamette Week.
The driver of the ambulance, contracted by American Medical Response, wrote that agents stood in front of the vehicle to prevent it from leaving. Public records and 911 dispatch audio confirm the claims, with reports that 50 to 60 federal agents blocked the road. The driver said they put the ambulance in park, causing it to lurch forward, enraging an agent who shouted threats including: “Don't you ever do that again, I will shoot you, I will arrest you right now.”
The medic added that they were “in such shock” and believed it “was no longer a safe scene.” The two medical employees also reported that agents became hostile after being told they could not ride in the ambulance because the patient was not under arrest. The ambulance arrived at 9:30 pm on 5 October but was not allowed to leave until 9:42 pm. A car with federal agents followed the ambulance to hospital.
The Independent has asked the Department of Homeland Security, ICE and the union representing the first responders for comment. A spokesperson for Global Medical Response/American Medical Response said they are “collaborating closely with Federal Protective Service to thoroughly review all aspects related to this incident.” The incident is the latest in a series of confrontations at the Portland ICE facility amid tensions over federal officers deployed by President Donald Trump.
