On Jan. 20, 2026, protesters nationwide gear up to rally against President Donald Trump. It is no different here in Portland. That Tuesday, students, protesters and citizens attended the “Free America Walkout” in major West Coast cities such as Portland and Los Angeles, protesting on the one-year anniversary of Trump’s second term.
Protesters targeted the administration’s policies, with a focus on aggressive immigration enforcement by ICE. This year, ICE has been rampant in the United States, deporting 56,000 people in late 2025 and early this year already. The administration has increased ICE staff to make these numbers rise.
Renee Good, a 37-year-old American mother, poet and resident of Minneapolis, was fatally shot by an ICE agent on Jan. 7th, 2026, during a protest. The Trump administration has called her a “domestic terrorist.” This tragedy sparked national outrage, resulting in protests across the country for justice.
A new ICE policy allows agents to enter homes without a warrant from a judge. This memo was signed by the ICE director, Todd M. Lyons, in May 2025. Previously, agents needed a warrant to enter the homes they searched. However, the guidance suggests they can rely on administrative warrants from officials within the Department of Homeland Security and even ICE agents.
“The memo says agents may ‘arrest and detain aliens’ in their places of residence who are subject to final orders of removal issued by immigration judges, the Board of Immigration Appeals, or U.S. district or magistrate judges,” wrote NBC News on the lack of judicial warrants needed for agents to enter homes.
This memo has many flaws, undermining the Fourth Amendment, which protects citizens from unreasonable government searches, ensuring privacy in their persons, homes and generally requiring law enforcement to have probable cause.
ICE has been described as “the largest mass deportation operation in American history” by theguardian.com. Many major cities across the country have been affected by ICE, such as Minneapolis, Atlanta, Portland, Miami and New York City. Los Angeles, New York City, Minneapolis and Chicago have been the primary targets.
ICE continues to tear apart homes, families, and communities every day. Engaging in protests for justice and change does help make change to our country, and citizens will not stop until a change is made to the Trump administration and the rights of ICE agents.
