More than a dozen protesters spent the night camped out at Portland's ICE headquarters, where they have been holding a 24-hour vigil. The group plans to remain at the site for the foreseeable future.

"We went from five of us in one tent camping under the stars to a little tent city," said Hanna Tashjian, 25, who lives in Southwest Portland.

The vigil, Tashjian says, began after a Father's Day rally held at the same location Sunday.

"We were just here. The building is still here. And we didn't want to go home. Not now."

Protesters are taking shifts at the Portland headquarters after the Trump administration's policy of separating families looking to enter the country, either without seeking documentation or by seeking asylum, at the southern U.S. border. Protests have also been taking place near Oregon's Federal Correction Institution in Sheridan, where the government crackdown led to 123 asylum seekers being held at the prison.

Back in Portland, protesters have blocked the entrance to ICE offices, preventing employees of the Immigration and Customs office from entering or leaving in vehicles.

"'Modern day Gestapo' is kind of a popular phrase now and sounds almost hyperbolic," Tashjian said. "Until you see what's going on."

"A lot of people are outraged and don't know what to do," she said.

"We're just trying to do something about it."

Five tents have been erected at the site. Dozens of food trays and cases of bottled water sit under cover nearby.

The group will hold a vigil at 8:30 p.m.

"The community has to stand up and say we do not want this in our cities, in our states, in our nation," Tashjian said.

"If we don't stand up and respond together, who's going to?"

— Beth Nakamura 503-221-8218

Twitter: @bethnakamura

Instagram: @bethnakamura