Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem found herself at the center of a social media storm after a video showed her surveying a small protest outside Portland’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. The footage, posted Tuesday by MAGA commentator Benny Johnson, described the scene as an “army of Antifa” despite only a handful of demonstrators being visible.
In the video, Noem, 53, stands on the rooftop of the ICE building as Johnson narrates. Among the protesters is someone dressed in a chicken costume. “DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stares down an army of Antifa and a guy in a chicken suit from the rooftop of the ICE facility here in Portland!” Johnson wrote in his post. “Noem isn’t chicken,” he added, with a chicken emoji.
Johnson asks Noem if she has a message for the costumed protester. “Man in the chicken outfit? I just saw him now. Goodness sakes. You can do better,” Noem replies, later calling the protesters “uneducated and ill-informed.”
Animal costumes have become a familiar sight in Portland’s demonstrations. A protester in a chicken suit appeared earlier this week, while another dressed as a frog was reportedly pepper-sprayed by ICE officers. On the same day, a group of senior citizens went viral for strumming ukuleles and singing “This Land Is Your Land” during a peaceful rally elsewhere in the city.
While Johnson’s dramatic framing painted Portland as “war-ravaged,” many online viewers mocked the idea. “LOL THERE’S LIKE EIGHT F—ING PEOPLE THERE!!!” tweeted Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko. Attorney Ben Yelin added, “Even this pure Goebbels-style propaganda gives us enough information to know that Portland is not a war zone.”
The video clashes with long-standing conservative portrayals of Portland as chaotic and violent. Although some arrests have occurred during recent demonstrations, the most notable involved conservative activist Nick Sortor, who was detained briefly after fighting with two protesters.
Local officials say the unrest has been overstated and accuse federal authorities of escalating tensions. Portland City Attorney Robert Taylor criticized federal officers for their conduct in a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice. He condemned what he described as “unconstitutional uses of force in violation of the Fourth Amendment against otherwise peaceful demonstrators exercising their First Amendment rights.”
“Does the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice care about the Constitution anymore?” Taylor asked. Despite the exaggerated rhetoric surrounding the protests, the video shows a relatively calm scene—one that seems far removed from the “war zone” some have claimed.