PORTLAND, Ore. — Newly obtained documents allege that a federal agent at Portland’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility threatened to shoot and arrest an ambulance driver during a tense standoff earlier this month. The reports, filed by two medical responders, describe an alarming confrontation that occurred while they were attempting to transport a patient to the hospital.
According to radio logs and internal incident reports obtained by Willamette Week, the conflict unfolded late on October 5, when an American Medical Response (AMR) crew was dispatched to the ICE facility at 4310 S. Macadam Avenue. The call was for a protester who had reportedly suffered a dislocated or broken collarbone.
At 9:19 p.m., the two-person ambulance team arrived, and by 9:30 p.m., the patient had been loaded into the vehicle without incident. But as the medics prepared to leave, they found their path blocked by federal agents, who insisted the ambulance remain inside the facility.
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Over the next 20 minutes, the situation deteriorated into a chaotic confrontation — one that the crew later described as “unsafe” and “threatening.”
Ambulance Blocked from Leaving
Publicly archived dispatch records and 911 audio confirm that at 9:33 p.m., the ambulance reported it was ready to depart for Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, but by 9:40 p.m., the driver radioed again: “We are still not being allowed to leave by ICE officers.”
The reports filed by the AMR crew paint a disturbing picture. Both medics said agents stood directly in front of the ambulance, physically preventing it from moving. The driver, trying to navigate the escalating tension, put the vehicle in park — causing it to roll forward slightly.
That small movement, the driver wrote, triggered an explosive response. “An agent began screaming that I had tried to hit him,” the report states. “They crowded and cornered me in the seat, pointing and yelling, threatening to shoot and arrest me.”
The driver said one officer leaned toward the open door, shouting: “Don’t you ever do that again. I will shoot you. I will arrest you right now.”
“I was in such shock,” the driver recalled, “that they were not only accusing me of such a thing, but trapping us in the vehicle. It was no longer a safe scene.”
A Scene Spirals Out of Control
The second crew member, who had been treating the patient in the rear, exited the ambulance to try to calm the situation. “I left the ambulance to attempt to de-escalate,” the medic wrote. “The yelling and aggressive nature of the officers had created a scene safety issue.”
The driver soon followed, only to be met by a group of agents — many in riot gear and several in plain clothes — who crowded the open driver’s door. One agent accused the driver of attempting to strike federal officers with the ambulance; another reportedly claimed this was “not the first time this had happened.”
Meanwhile, dispatch reports described 50 to 60 federal agents blocking the road, with the ambulance still unable to leave. The gate to the ICE facility was open, but the smaller group of officers refused to clear a path.
The crew continued to plead for permission to transport their patient. The driver explained that officers could not ride in the ambulance without proper paperwork, but could follow in a separate vehicle. Eventually, that compromise was accepted.
At 9:42 p.m., radio logs show the ambulance was finally permitted to depart, with an unmarked vehicle following closely behind to the hospital.
Conflicting Priorities and Heightened Tensions
The confrontation took place at a time of heightened tension at the Portland ICE facility, which has been a flashpoint for protests and political clashes for months. City leaders have accused federal officers of escalating encounters unnecessarily — not just with demonstrators, but, as this incident suggests, with other emergency responders.
The incident also underscores the strained dynamic between local first responders and federal agents amid ongoing protests over immigration enforcement and civil rights.
According to the medics’ reports, federal officers initially demanded to accompany the patient in the ambulance — a request the crew said they could not legally accommodate without an arrest warrant. When the medics refused, the officers allegedly grew increasingly hostile.
The AMR reports, filed within 24 hours of the incident, were also reviewed by the Teamsters Local 223, which represents the ambulance workers.
Union and Agency Responses
In a statement, Teamsters Local 223 spokesperson Austin DePaolo said: “Our EMS workers answer every call with courage and compassion. When armed agents interfere with medical care, they cross a moral line that could put lives at risk. We stand firmly behind our members.”
Neither AMR nor the Department of Homeland Security — which oversees ICE and the Federal Protective Service — responded to detailed questions from Willamette Week. A spokesperson for AMR’s parent company, Global Medical Response, confirmed the incident is under internal review.
When reached for comment, ICE referred inquiries to the Federal Protective Service. FPS did not respond to follow-up emails sent on October 11.
Broader Implications
While the patient was ultimately transported safely, the confrontation has raised alarm among Portland officials and emergency services advocates, who warn that such incidents could deter medics from responding quickly to calls at federal facilities in the future.
The reports also illustrate the volatility of Portland’s ongoing standoff between federal agencies and local institutions. The ICE facility — one of several flashpoints used by President Trump’s administration to justify National Guard deployments — has seen numerous demonstrations, arrests, and allegations of excessive force in recent months.
City leaders have criticized federal agents for operating with what they describe as “militarized aggression” toward both protesters and noncombatants. The Oct. 5 incident adds a new dimension to that concern, suggesting even first responders are not immune from hostile treatment.
As one AMR medic concluded in their report, the experience was “deeply disturbing.”
“This was no longer a safe scene,” they wrote. “In that moment, I realized we were essentially trapped — not by protesters, but by the very people who had asked us to help.”
The investigation remains ongoing. None of the involved agencies have issued formal statements beyond acknowledging receipt of the reports.
