Anti-ICE protester in Portland sentenced to 30 months in prison for assaulting a federal officer

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man accused of assaulting a federal officer during protests at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, Oregon, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Thursday.

Under a plea deal, Robert Jacob Hoopes had pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated assault of a federal employee with a dangerous weapon. According to court documents, Hoopes threw a rock that hit an officer in the head and opened a gash over his eye during a protest last June.

Besides the prison time, U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson in Portland also sentenced him to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay over $8,000 in restitution.

“Today’s message is clear — violence is not a protest," the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, Scott Bradford, said in a statement. “When you cross the line and assault a federal officer, you will be prosecuted.”

Hoopes's attorney, Matthew McHenry, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Over the past year, the U.S. Justice Department has sought to prosecute people accused of assaulting federal officers during protests against President Donald Trump's immigration policies in cities across the country, from Chicago to Los Angeles. Recently, a New Jersey immigration detention center has become the latest flashpoint for clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement, with dozens arrested.

The Portland ICE building has been the site of persistent protests over the administration’s aggressive deportation practices since last June, including months of nightly demonstrations and repeated efforts by federal authorities to disperse even small crowds with chemical munitions. Trump's attempt to deploy the National Guard to Portland last fall for the stated purpose of protecting federal property and personnel, which was blocked by the courts, also drew demonstrators.

At least one other Portland ICE building protester has been sentenced to prison, but not for assaulting a federal officer. In March, Trenten Edward Barker was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to arson of a federal building. He was accused of throwing a lit flare onto a pile of debris stacked against the gate of the ICE building last June, causing thousands of dollars in property damage, according to federal prosecutors.

The cases of at least four other Portland protesters, including three accused of assaulting a federal officer, have been dismissed. At least two cases have gone to trial, including one for a woman accused of assaulting an officer that ended in a mistrial, and another in which a defendant is appealing his sentence of one year of probation for failing to obey a lawful order and creating a disturbance.

FILE - U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents standoff against demonstrators as tear gas fills the air outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs building during a protest, June 14, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

TRACY, Calif. (AP) — A fire destroyed a medical equipment warehouse in Northern California and sent thick black smoke pouring into the sky Thursday and prompted evacuations of other nearby facilities as authorities fought to get the blaze under control.

The fire ignited at the large distribution center for Medline, a major medical-surgical products provider, in Tracy, a city about 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) east of San Francisco. It spread across the street into a FedEx facility, where crews were able to stop it, according to Fire Chief Randall Bradley, of the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority.

Officials evacuated a large portion of the area as the wind heightened the risk of spreading embers, said Sgt. Michael Richards, from the city's police department. The 1 million-square-foot (93,000-square-meter) warehouse is in a massive industrial park that also houses fulfillment and distribution centers for Amazon, Home Depot and FedEx.

Medline said all of its employees and other personnel at the site were accounted for.

“We are coordinating closely with local authorities and first responders as we assess the fire’s impact and will share more details as they become available,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement.

Tracy Mayor Dan Arriola said the fire is burning in the largest industrial zone in the city and far away from homes.

“I understand that the fire has fully engulfed Medline and they are working to make sure that it’s contained to that particular facility,” he said. FedEx and Amazon distribution centers have been evacuated, he said.

Medline is a supplier of latex gloves, masks, surgical instruments and other medical supplies that Arriola said was key in distributing medical supplies needed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials are evaluating air quality and possible impacts to residents of the area, he said. Officials are investigating what started the fire.

A sprinkler system that appeared to be broken and low water pressure in hydrants at the facility hindered the firefight, Bradley said. The issues appeared to be with the warehouse's, not the city's, water system. Authorities don't yet know what went wrong, he said.

“Things worked against us," he said, citing water supply issues, low humidity, high winds and high temperatures. "It was a little bit of a perfect storm for this fire evolving quickly.”

No homes have been evacuated.

Thursday’s high temperature for Tracy was expected to reach 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), with no rain in the forecast.

This image from aerial video shows black smoke pouring into the sky from a fire at a medical equipment warehouse in Tracy, Calif., Thursday, June 11, 2026. (KGO via AP)