Additional Coverage:
- Blind protester filmed being violently arrested by ICE and dropped on his head outside Portland facility (themirror.com)
Blind Protester Violently Arrested Outside Portland ICE Facility, Video Goes Viral
PORTLAND, OR – A blind man peacefully protesting immigration policies in Portland was reportedly subjected to a violent arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, with a video of the incident quickly circulating across social media and sparking widespread outrage.
The footage appears to show Quinn Haberl, who stands 4 feet 6 inches tall, being forcefully dropped on his head before being dragged away by authorities. Haberl, wearing a neon vest and holding his walking stick, was seated outside an ICE facility. His position, just beside a blue line painted on the ground marking federal property, suggests he had not trespassed.
Witnesses to the arrest can be heard screaming, “He is blind!” as agents reportedly grabbed Haberl by his limbs, causing him to fall to the ground.
He was then dragged across the driveway towards the building. At one point, agents attempting to lift him lost their grip, resulting in Haberl falling to the asphalt.
The video concludes with agents cuffing him and retrieving his cane.
Following his release, Haberl was treated at a hospital for bruising. In an interview with The Oregonian, he expressed his belief that authorities used him “as an example to terrify fellow protesters.”
“I think they wanted to make a point,” Haberl told the news outlet. “So they picked up the weakest person they could find and made a big show out of it.”
He further elaborated in an interview with KGVW, stating, “I was sitting in the grass and my legs were just barely in the driveway, and they came up, I think there were six of them, and they grabbed me and they started to drag me across the driveway on the ground.” Haberl recounted feeling terrified during the ordeal, questioning, “I’m only 4 foot 6 and I can’t see, what harm was I gonna do to them? It was scary, being dragged across the ground when you can’t see what’s happening around you.”
The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement regarding the incident, asserting that Haberl was arrested for trespassing on federal property and obstructing law enforcement. “This rioter was arrested after he blatantly disobeyed law enforcement orders to remain off federal property, obstructed law enforcement, and continued to block the driveway so vehicles could not enter or exit the ICE facility,” the statement read.
Portland has been a focal point of national attention for weeks, as the Trump administration has sought to deploy federal troops to the city. On Monday, the 9th Circuit federal appeals court overturned a temporary restraining order, allowing the administration to proceed with troop deployments in Oregon. The court’s majority opinion stated, “After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority.”
This ruling follows similar deployments in other Democratic-led cities, including Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, which the President has maintained are necessary to protect ICE agents.