July 20, 2020 5:50 a.m.

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said she will file a lawsuit in federal court against several federal agencies and their agents alleging they have engaged in unlawful law enforcement in violation of the civil rights of Oregonians by seizing and detaining them without probable cause.

That includes the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Protection Service.

A release said the lawsuit will be followed by a motion for a temporary restraining order regarding the forcible detainment of an Oregon resident, Mark Pettibone. If granted, the TRO would immediately stop federal authorities from “unlawfully detaining Oregonians”. The release said Rosenblum’s actions come in response to two incidents that occurred last week. Rosenblum alleges that both involved federal authorities overstepping their powers and injuring or threatening protestors on the streets of downtown Portland.

Rosenblum said the first took place July 12th when a peaceful protestor was standing near the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse. The protestor was hit in the head with an “impact weapon’ and suffered severe injuries. Rosenblum said the second occurred on July 16th when an unmarked minivan with undercover federal agents wearing generic green fatigues forcibly detained Pettibone, who was walking on a sidewalk. The man was held at the Federal Courthouse and eventually was let go.

The release said the Oregon Department of Justice Criminal Justice Division has also opened an investigation into the first incident.