New Prosecutor Brings Charges Against Violent Protesters
Portland, Oregon, long known for its turbulent protest scene, is seeing a noticeable shift in how protest-related crimes are handled in the courts. Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez has begun pursuing charges against many demonstrators arrested near the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, marking a departure from the policies of his predecessor and signaling a tougher approach toward lawbreaking during protests.
Court and police records reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation indicate that most individuals arrested during anti-ICE demonstrations over the past six months have faced prosecution from Vasquez’s office. The shift follows years of criticism from political leaders and residents who argued that Portland’s leadership had tolerated disorder following the violent protests that gained national attention during the 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
Vasquez replaced former district attorney Mike Schmidt, a progressive prosecutor backed by funding linked to billionaire George Soros. Schmidt’s office adopted a policy in August 2020 that declined to prosecute several types of protest-related offenses, including charges such as riot, harassment, trespassing, disorderly conduct, and interfering with police officers. Under that approach, only cases involving deliberate property destruction, theft, or direct threats of violence were typically pursued.
The change in policy appears to be producing immediate effects. According to a Portland police officer who spoke anonymously to the Daily Caller News Foundation to avoid potential professional repercussions, protest activity around the ICE facility has declined significantly.
The officer reported that gatherings which once attracted dozens of demonstrators have shrunk to fewer than a dozen individuals on many nights. The reason, the officer suggested, is simple: protesters are aware that the district attorney’s office is now actively pursuing criminal charges.
DEEP DIVE: I went through numerous records and found a pattern — at least 11 people arrested at Portland's riots this year have been arrested before, and still none of them are behind bars. @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/UsidjYvof5
— Hudson Crozier 🇺🇸 (@Hudson_Crozier) October 28, 2025
Data from Portland Police Bureau press releases covering demonstrations between September and February show that officers made 53 arrests related to anti-ICE protests during that period. Court records indicate that prosecutors filed charges in at least 33 of those cases, roughly 63 percent of the arrests.
The charges include offenses such as assault, interfering with a peace officer, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, and criminal trespass. So far, those cases have produced 11 convictions and one “no contest” plea. Nineteen cases were later dismissed either by prosecutors or by the court, while one defendant had charges dropped after paying restitution. Another individual was acquitted of harassment and disorderly conduct charges.
Vasquez, who identifies as a registered independent and leads a nonpartisan district attorney’s office, has emphasized that his approach is not about restricting protest rights. Instead, he argues that criminal acts during demonstrations must still be subject to prosecution.
He told the Daily Caller News Foundation that peaceful protest remains a fundamental right widely exercised in Portland. However, he added that crimes against people or property committed during protests will not be tolerated under his administration.
Vasquez won the district attorney’s office during the 2024 election cycle after campaigning on a platform promising a tougher stance on crime. His campaign sharply criticized Schmidt’s policies as overly lenient and out of step with the city’s needs.
The dynamics surrounding Portland’s protests also reveal the challenges law enforcement faces with repeat offenders. Some individuals arrested during the 2025 demonstrations reportedly had prior criminal histories in Oregon and were released again after their arrests. In some cases, protesters were arrested multiple times within the same six-month window.
Despite those complications, police say the stricter prosecutorial approach has changed the environment surrounding demonstrations. Officers report that many of the individuals who regularly appear at protests understand that arrests are now more likely to lead to formal charges.
Vasquez insists the issue should not be viewed through a partisan lens. In his view, the political beliefs of demonstrators are irrelevant when determining whether to pursue charges.
“If they break the law during a protest,” he said, “they will be prosecuted.”