Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem appeared in Portland, Oregon, Tuesday, in a display of government power responding to an “army of Antifa.” Pictures from the scene revealed that “army” to be approximately a dozen reporters and protesters on a street corner, including a man in a chicken costume.
Noem was photographed, during the day, on the roof of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, surveying the street below. The facility has been the site of nightly anti-immigration raid protests – some of which have turned aggressive recently as federal law enforcement clash with demonstrators.
Conservative influencer Benny Johnson, who joined Noem on the visit, posted a video from the roof, referring to her looking onto the “army of Antifa” – a nebulous left-wing, anti-fascist movement – often targeted by President Donald Trump.
About a dozen people stood on the street below, looking up at Noem. The small crowd appeared to be mostly photojournalists and a few protesters holding signs. One man, wearing a chicken costume, stood out.
“Our goal is that people would peacefully protest, but that we would still be allowed to enforce the law in this country,” Noem told Johnson. “So, it’s too bad they’re uneducated and ill-informed.”
The crowd appeared nonviolent, though they were shouting at Noem. One person, using some sort of megaphone, taunted the secretary and other law enforcement officials, referring to a Subway sandwich, the kind which was previously thrown at federal law enforcement who were deployed in Washington, D.C., and Noem’s dog, which she admitted to shooting in her memoir.
Noem, Trump, and other senior administration officials have characterized the ongoing protests in Portland as chaotic and dangerous. Trump has referred to Portland, a liberal city, as “war-ravaged” and in need of federal intervention.
The president has sought to send in hundreds of National Guard members to help protect immigration law enforcement as they conduct raids. However, federal judges as well as Oregon’s governor have said deploying troops is unnecessary.
“This is not a factual need on the ground in Oregon, to deploy any of the military in the National Guard, whether they’re from California or Texas or Oregon,” Gov. Tina Kotek told OPB Wednesday.
After Johnson’s video was posted on X, liberal commentators and groups mocked Noem for what appeared to be a relatively neutral situation.
“PORTLAND’S WAR ZONE,” California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office responded with a photo of the small group of protesters.
The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump political action committee, responded to Johnson by zooming in on a video of the crowd to reveal a woman taking a photo with her cell phone and the man in the chicken costume. “They’re using your tax dollars to fight this army of Antifa,” the Lincoln Project wrote.
“It’s worth watching this video to see what Benny describes as the ‘army of Antifa,’” Mike Baker, a New York Times correspondent, wrote.
Nick Sortor, another conservative influencer, posted a similar video of Noem looking down at the protesters. His point of view appeared to show a few more photographers and people holding signs. Sortor claimed someone shouted “F*** the immigration authorities” in Spanish.
But still, people online did not appear intimidated by the group of people.
“This isn’t a war zone, this is a poorly attended protest,” X user Josh responded.
