The Trump administration is facing a new lawsuit accusing federal agents of endangering families in Portland, Oregon, by repeatedly firing chemical agents near an apartment building, allegedly as part of an effort by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to impress conservative influencers.
According to the complaint filed Dec. 5 by REACH Community Development and nine residents of Gray’s Landing, the past six months have brought escalating and indiscriminate use of force around a nearby federal facility. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents allegedly launched tear gas, smoke grenades, pepper balls, and other chemical agents “in mass volume,” with fumes that “seep through windows and vents, accumulate in hallways and bedrooms, and bind to walls, carpets, clothing, furniture, and children’s toys.”
Residents describe yellow gas clouds drifting into their homes, and symptoms including persistent coughing, burning eyes and throats, dizziness, and severe headaches. The lawsuit claims some deployments were staged not to address real threats, but to “put on a show for conservative ‘influencers’” invited by Noem and DHS to film the scene “for propaganda purposes.”
Among them were pro-Trump personality Benny Johnson and political commentator Nick Sortor, who were mocked online in October after posting videos of Noem standing on the facility’s roof as Johnson described an “army of antifa” though the footage showed two small groups of peaceful protesters and a man in a chicken costume.
The complaint says the repeated chemical exposure has left children terrified. One man’s daughters, ages 7 and 9, “sometimes sleep in their father’s closet to feel some sense of safety.” Military veterans and domestic abuse survivors with PTSD have reportedly suffered triggering episodes after each gas deployment. One resident, Jane Doe, a survivor “once…shot in the head at point-blank range by her abuser,” says the explosions and fumes send her into “horrific panic.”
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“It should go without saying that, under our Constitution, the federal government may not knowingly release poison gas into the homes of citizens who are simply trying to go about their lives,” the filing states. Yet the lawsuit alleges agents “shoot their munitions directly toward Gray’s Landing,” fully aware the building is in the line of fire. When a building representative raised concerns, agents allegedly laughed and replied that the gases used were “environmentally friendly.”
The complaint also claims officers fired “pepper bullets into the backs of retreating protesters.” Residents quoted in the filing detail how ordinary moments, “opening a window, stepping onto a balcony, letting a child sleep in her own bed” have turned into hazards. Air Force veteran Susan Dooley, 72, says her west-facing unit has been repeatedly contaminated. Another resident, Mindy King, has documented tear gas drifting into the complex, where she has lived with her 13-year-old son for a decade.
The suit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to put an end to what it describes as “shocking and unconstitutional poisoning.” It also notes broader community impacts, including the Cottonwood School of Civics and Science, which was “forced to permanently relocate over the summer” because chemical munitions made the area unsafe.
As the case moves forward, residents say they want accountability and protection from the agents whose tactics have turned their home into what they describe as a danger zone.
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