Occupy ICE protester sentenced to 6 months federal probation

Updated 11:42 AM; Posted 11:42 AM

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A "no-climb" fence was installed next to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on Southwest Macadam Avenue on Monday, July 2, 2018. (Anna Spoerre/The Oregonian)


By Maxine Bernstein | The Oregonian/OregonLive

A protester who spit at federal officers and tried to kick them as they moved in to arrest her during a July 9 demonstration outside Portland’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building was sentenced Monday to six months of probation.

Cole Holland Buford, 22, was on speaker phone from Houston, where Buford is attending Houston Community College.

In November, Buford pleaded guilty to simple assault, a misdemeanor.

U.S. Magistrate Judge John V. Acosta accepted the probationary sentence jointly recommended by a prosecutor and defense lawyer after finding Buford had demonstrated remorse and apologized for her actions.

Federal probation officers in Texas will supervise Buford in Houston.

Last summer, Buford was among hundreds of people who set up camp outside the ICE headquarters in Southwest Portland, protesting President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy, including his administration’s separation of children from their parents. The ICE office closed temporarily due to safety concerns.

On June 28, the headquarters reopened after federal officers and Portland police took down the encampment and made several arrests.

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Cole Holland Buford, 22, was sentenced to 6 months of federal probation after she pleaded guilty to simple assault, a misdemeanor.


According to a criminal complaint, officers from the Federal Protective Service responded on July 9 to the building to find a protester who had ripped down caution tape put up to provide employees with a safe entrance to the building. That's when Buford spit at two officers, the complaint said.

"Buford approached (Federal Protective Service) Inspector C.B. in the employee parking lot and began shouting, pointing and lunging at the inspector while appearing to be restrained by two other protesters," Federal Protective Service special agent Micah Coring wrote in the complaint.

"Buford became increasingly agitated and spit in the direction of Inspector C.B. and an FPS Special Agent, neither of whom responded. Buford spit a second time, hitting Inspector C.B in the legs. FPS inspectors took Buford into custody. I used a government-issued video camera to record the incident. I have spoken with Inspector C.B. and learned that Buford attempted to pull away and kick the FPS inspectors while being placed in a marked police unit," Coring wrote.

Seven other Occupy ICE protesters arrested in June are awaiting a three-day trial set for March 11. They are accused of failing to comply with federal officers' orders to leave the ICE office.

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