President Donald Trump‘s announced deployment of the Oregon National Guard to protect federal facilities in Portland focuses attention on a corner of the South Waterfront that has already seen significant protests this year.

Protests have coalesced at 4310 S. Macadam Ave., where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leases an 18,300-square-foot building. By chance, the ICE facility is located across a narrow driveway from a Tesla dealership where protesters gathered throughout the spring and summer to voice objections to CEO Elon Musk’s role in federal government cuts.

Trump’s plan to deploy 200 Oregon National Guard troops has galvanized opposition in the state. Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed a motion for a temporary restraining order on Monday, seeking to block Trump from federalizing the National Guard members.

“Putting our own military on our streets is an abuse of power and a disservice to our communities and our service members,” Rayfield stated in a news release.

The planned troop deployment caught the attention of Portland’s business community. Anyeley Hallova, founder of developer Adre, said the narrative of Portland streets as out of control — often driven by video from 2020 protests — was false.

“It’s very apparent to me and other leaders in Portland that this is a very deliberate action to come into a peaceful city that’s really on the rise and doing well,” Hallova said in a video posted to social media. “Everything that’s being said about our city is incorrect. The pictures that are being used are over five years old.”

As night fell on Monday, about 30 protesters peacefully demonstrated along the sidewalk at the ICE facility. Local and federal law enforcement personnel monitored the protesters but did not interfere or interact with them. Roads remained open, although a protest encampment occupied a portion of the sidewalk.

The ICE building is owned by the Lindquist Family Limited Partnership, led by longtime local developer Stuart Lindquist. The low-rise office structure, on 1.1 acres, was completed in 2013.

The city has initiated a land-use investigation into whether immigrants are being detained at the facility for longer periods than allowed by city zoning.

Lindquist declined to comment when reached on Monday, and did not respond to written questions. He has long been part of the city’s real estate ecosystem. He began building homes in West Portland in the 1960s and then moved into other real estate sectors.

Separately, Lindquist is part of the development group that has proposed to redevelop Centennial Mills, on the Northwest Portland waterfront. The three-building mixed-use project would hold 272 residential units and four retail spaces. The Portland Design Commission’s potential approval for that project is pending.

Protests began at the ICE building on June 2, according to the state’s lawsuit. Protesters briefly erected a temporary barrier that blocked the facility’s driveway, but it was quickly cleared by Portland police.

The controversy surrounding the ICE building adds to the strange tableau in the South Waterfront, where its neighbors include the Telsa dealership and an Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant. To the north is the former Zidell Marine land purchased by the Portland Diamond Project for a potential Major League Baseball stadium site.

In between, the neighborhood is dominated by a series of high-rise condo and apartment towers, alongside sprawling medical offices owned by Oregon Health and Science University, a major employer and anchor in South Portland.

OHSU did not answer questions about how the protests and potential troop deployment are affecting its South Waterfront sites. But in a prepared statement, the medical group wrote: “OHSU is actively monitoring the situation relative to impacts to OHSU operations. OHSU is committed to a safe, peaceful environment for our patients, students and staff.”

The South Portland Neighborhood Association did not respond to a message seeking comment on Monday.

Police made 25 arrests between June 11 and June 19 stemming from protests at the facility. No arrests have been made since June 19, according to the lawsuit. But separately, Portland police stated that two arrests were made Sunday. The Oregonian/OregonLive on Monday reported additional arrests of protesters who allegedly pointed a laser at a military helicopter.

The protests, “with some limited exceptions, have been relatively small and sedate,” according to Rayfield’s lawsuit. “And the protests bear no resemblance to the substantially larger and more turbulent protests in 2020 near the federal courthouse in Portland.”

Portland police have even stood down a 50-officer Rapid Response Team because it was not needed, according to the lawsuit.

The state’s lawsuit also expressed concern that the military presence would cause an “economic chill.” In previous urban troop deployments in California and in Washington, D.C., foot traffic dropped, and economic activity was reduced, according to the lawsuit.

Mitch Green, a veteran and District 4 city councilor, criticized what he called the Trump administration’s “unlawful designs for Portland” in a video posted to social media on Monday.

Mayor Keith Wilson was joined on Monday at a press conference by other mayors from the Portland-metro area. He pointed to the state’s lawsuit against the troop deployment as the key to Oregon’s strategy to head off the move.

“The number of troops that we want or need is zero,” Wilson said. Portland would accept federal help, particularly with housing and health care costs, he added. But “this deployment isn’t something we’ve asked for,” he said.

The state’s case was assigned to federal District Court Judge Michael H. Simon, who held a conference call between the parties on Monday. Simon said he will hear Oregon’s motion at 10 a.m. on Friday.

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