Feds Vowed to Quell Unrest in Portland. Local Leaders Are Telling Them to Leave.

PORTLAND, Ore. — For weeks, police officers on the streets of Portland have tried to subdue a persistent group of protesters by shooting tear gas canisters and making arrests — each by the dozens.

This week, Portland’s law enforcement leaders have a new worry on the streets: their federal counterparts. Purportedly in town to help tamp down the unrest, the federal officers in camouflage and tactical gear have so far instead served to escalate tensions, rejuvenating a protest crowd that has been demanding a substantial overhaul to policing and an end to militarized tactics.

Since their arrival, federal officers have shot one protester in the head with an apparent impact munition, leaving the man with severe head injuries and producing the image of blood dripping on Portland’s streets. The officers have driven those streets in unmarked vans, at times seizing protesters, according to videos and interviews.

One of the people detained, Mark Pettibone, said in an interview that an unmarked vehicle stopped right in front of him around 2 a.m. on Wednesday and four people in camouflage jumped out. Given the lack of markings or identification, he had no idea who they were.

“One of the officers said, ‘It’s OK, it’s OK,’ and just grabbed me and threw me into the van. Another officer pulled my beanie down, so I couldn’t see,” Mr. Pettibone said.

Mr. Pettibone said he was terrified and that at no point was he told why he was arrested or detained, or what agency the officers were with. He said he was ultimately held for about two hours before being released.

On Thursday night and into Friday morning — the 50th straight day of demonstrations — a line of federal officers in gas masks walked down Portland’s Third Avenue. They filled downtown corridors with tear gas, which a federal judge has barred the Portland police from using except in the case of a safety risk, and they also shot less-lethal munitions, which left people limping in pain.

The aggressive federal posture has complicated the mission of the Department of Homeland Security, an agency that has spent much of its history focused on foreign terrorism threats and is supposed to build collaborative relationships with local law enforcement partners. And it raises questions of whether it is appropriate for federal authorities to take up the policing of an American city against the wishes of local leaders.

Mayor Ted Wheeler of Portland, who is also police commissioner, said the federal response was “irresponsible” and asked for those deployed to stay inside federal buildings or leave the city. The Multnomah County sheriff, Mike Reese, called the federal response a “significant setback” in efforts to calm tensions.

Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon called it a “blatant abuse of power by the federal government.”

But federal officials, starting with President Trump, have continued to stake a claim to the city’s law and order. The acting Homeland Security secretary, Chad Wolf, arrived in the city on Thursday, calling the protesters a “violent mob” of anarchists emboldened by a lack of local enforcement.

Portland’s protests began in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, drawing thousands of people to the streets to denounce police violence and racial injustice. On some nights, protesters would blanket the Burnside Bridge, each laying face down on the pavement for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in remembrance of Mr. Floyd.

Those mass demonstrations have waned, but hundreds have continued on, clashing with the police almost nightly. They have set off fireworks, lit fires and attempted to create an autonomous zone similar to one that existed up Interstate 5 in Seattle.

The persistent unrest has frustrated city leaders, including Mr. Wheeler, who has often been a target of the ire. Some Black leaders in the community have also expressed disappointment, suggesting that the predominantly white protest crowd was seizing an opportunity and detracting from the vital efforts needed to reform policing.

City leaders have tried a variety of tactics to calm the tensions. Mayor Wheeler has pleaded for calm. The city’s police chief resigned, to be replaced with Chuck Lovell, who is Black. City commissioners have moved to cut some $16 million from the police budget.

But the protests have continued.

Mr. Trump has taken aggressive posture against demonstrations, vowing at one point to “dominate” protesters and mobilize federal agencies to operate in cities. Mr. Trump said last week that he had sent Homeland Security personnel to Portland because “the locals couldn’t handle it.”

“It’s a pretty wild group, but you have it in very good control,” he told Mr. Wolf.

The next day, video appeared to show one protester, Donavan La Bella, holding a sign across the street from the federal courthouse being struck in the head by an impact munition, leading to a bloody scene on the street. His mother has told local media that he suffered skull fractures and needed surgery.

Members of Congress from Oregon have called for an investigation, and the U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon, Billy J. Williams, said it had been referred to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General for further investigation.