Nineteen Occupy ICE protesters, including a teenager, made their first appearances in federal court Friday, facing citations for failing to follow orders from federal officers or obstructing entrances during summer demonstrations outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Portland.

All the protesters asked to go to trial, scheduled separately for Nov. 2. Prosecutors indicated they're not seeking jail time or probation, leaving fines as the likely penalty if convicted.

Even though defendants aren't required to have a lawyer for these lowest-category misdemeanors, U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman chose to appoint an assistant federal public defender for most of them "in the interests of justice,'' noting the nature of the offenses and that they cases are moving toward trials. One defendant was represented by a lawyer from the National Lawyers Guild.

Authorities cited the protesters during demonstrations outside the ICE office in Southwest Portland that started on Father's Day. Some were arrested June 28, accused of blocking an entrance to the office; others were cited July 11 after linking arms in an attempt to block a van from leaving the building, according to the Federal Protective Service.

At one point during the hearing, two uniformed officers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security sat in the courtroom's public gallery, but the judge asked them to step out after assistant federal public defender Ruben Iniguez said their presence had triggered one defendant to have a panic attack. The U.S. Marshals Service had requested the federal officers.

"I don't see a courtroom security risk that's present,'' Beckerman said. The two officers remained in the hallway for the rest of the hearing.

Noting that all the protesters are challenging the allegations, Cam Cruscial, one of the defendants, said after the hearing, "It's nice to have that solidarity.''

"I'm hoping this brings more visibility behind the movement to abolish ICE and free the children being detained,'' Cruscial said, referring to immigrant children detained separately from their parents under the zero tolerance policy by President Donald Trump's administration.

Anthony Hadden, who moved from protesting outside the ICE field office in July to most recently demonstrating against immigration enforcement at Chapman Square in downtown Portland, is headed to trial, saying, "I'm not guilty.''

A group called Portland General Defense Committee put out a statement about the defendants' move to challenge their citations.

"When our government blatantly commits human rights violations while our elected representatives refuse to act, we are morally compelled to take action and stand in solidarity with immigrants, refugees, their children, and their families,'' it read.

The occupation lasted about five weeks. Protesters had set up a makeshift camp at the immigration field office in Portland and remained there around the clock. They said their intention was to protest the Trump administration's policy of separating children and parents who are detained after border crossings and seek the abolishment of ICE. The field office closed for days because protesters blocked its entrances. Early onJuly 25, Portland police moved in to clear out the remaining demonstrators, finding the camp was posing biomedical and fire hazards.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian