In November of 2025, the ACLU of Oregon filed a Class Action Complaint against President Trump, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on behalf of our clients, whose First Amendment rights were violated outside the Portland ICE Building on the corner of South Bancroft Street and South Macadam Avenue. After a three-day evidentiary hearing in early March of 2026, Federal Court Judge Michael Simon ruled in favor of protesters and journalists, granting our clients’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction and prohibiting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers from using crowd control munitions, including pepper balls and tear gas, in retaliation against nonviolent protesters and press outside the Portland ICE building.
Mason Lake, a client and class representative in this case, is a born and raised Portlander and a lover of history, particularly the medieval era and World War II. With a career in photography that dates back to his high school years, where he found a passion for it, Mason now feels compelled as a freelance photographer to contribute to the accurate depiction of history as it is happening through “boots on the ground” journalism and presence at the protests outside the ICE building.
Despite being clearly marked as “PRESS”, Mason has been a repeat target of federal agents — including being shot at with multiple types of crowd control munitions, having rifle lasers pointed at his head, and having his recording disrupted by bright lights.
The ACLU of Oregon communications and storytelling team had a chance to share space with Mason and learn more about his experiences and motivations as a press photographer.
