PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – New footage shows a blind man being violently detained by federal agents at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland.
These videos, each taken from different sides of the building on Saturday, show Quinn Haberl wearing a neon vest and sitting on the side of the driveway to the facility. Next to him on the ground is a thick blue line, which federal agents made to indicate when protesters are crossing onto the federal property — effectively allowing them to arrest people for trespassing.
The videos show several federal agents circling Haberl before grabbing him by his arms and legs and carrying him toward the ICE building before dropping him on his head.
They can then be seen dragging him past the gate with more agents getting involved, cuffing him as the man wiggles on the ground. One agent could be seen picking up Haberl’s white cane.
Two men who saw the incident Saturday night said Haberl is usually joyful, dancing and having a good time while protesting outside of ICE.
“It was heartbreaking to see him being dragged the way he was,” one of the men said. “The visceral reaction was to just not continue videotaping and get the angle, but I just couldn’t keep it out. I had to keep him in frame. I had to keep him in frame, and it just hurt my heart.”
The other man, Sterling Anderson, said it was shocking to witness.
“You can see in the video where I’m very vocal, and then you can see my breath and my breath was taken away,” Anderson said. “It’s like, what threat does that man represent to, you know, agents of the state or property?”
Nexstar’s KOIN reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which sent the following statement:
“This rioter was arrested after he blatantly disobeyed law enforcement orders to remain off federal property, obstructed law enforcement, and continued to block the driveway so vehicles could not enter or exit the ICE facility.”
Haberl told KOIN over the phone that he was too emotional to speak as of Tuesday — too afraid even to leave his home. But he does want his story told.
Haberl said he is being charged with failure to comply. His friends set up a GoFundMe to help him with medical bills and legal support.
KOIN also reached out to the FBI for updated arrest data. The agency said they are no longer releasing daily arrest data, switching to a weekly announcement instead.
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