Portland’s ICE office has become a character in real

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Portland has been thrust into the national spotlight by President Trump who has spun a dark and often misleading narrative about the city’s robust and sometimes violent history of protesting.

His focus lately has been on the rather humble three-story building south of downtown on a street not far from apartment buildings, coffee shops and a spaghetti restaurant where families dine under ornate chandeliers as the Willamette River rolls by.

The building itself has become a character in the real-life drama that has roiled the city and state as Trump has activated 200 Oregon National Guard troops to protect it. They haven’t arrived yet.

Here’s a look at the history of the building, what’s happening outside and what happens inside.