In South Portland, protesters have come up with a creative way to “fight back” against mass deportations and make a point that the city of Portland does not need National Guard troops deployed. Primarily beginning in Oct. 2025, people have gathered in front of the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility as a parade of inflatable animals. Protesters dressed as frogs, dinosaurs, chickens, and more, dance in front of this building, gaining the attention of ICE agents, National Guard troops, and news anchors around the country.
Jashn Pande, a junior at LOHS, attended one of these inflatable protests. “It was such a meaningful thing to be a part of. Seeing so many people gathered together to make a change,” she said. “I think it’s such a creative way to protest, it really shows we’re coming with peace and that Portland isn’t the wildly violent place some portray it as.” Pande shares her views against mass deportation saying “I really wish more people would think about what it’s like to be a family being ripped apart by the government. It’s important to understand not everyone has the time or ability to move here legally and kicking out wonderful parents, children, and grandparents for that disadvantage is just messed up.”
By dancing in these “silly” costumes, the people of Portland are trying to debunk the idea that Portland is a war zone. Protester Sarah Cimino said “Yes, we’re in costumes to show just how ridiculous that is. It’s not a war zone.”
A large turning point came when 24-year-old Seth Todd, wearing an inflatable frog costume, was pepper-sprayed by a federal agent directly into the costume’s air-vent on Oct. 2. This act of violence against what was clearly a non-threatening individual gained lots of traction in the media. Todd didn’t let this knock him down, saying “I’ve definitely had spicier tamales.”
Due to this incident, Todd gained an even bigger voice which he used to speak out about mass deportation. He said “Whether they are here legally or not, they should be treated as a human being, because that’s what they are… We are not supposed to be treating other people unfairly just because we have the power to do so.”
Since this, inflatable costumes have become a staple for Portland’s protests. A volunteer group called Operation Inflation takes donations and supplies inflatable costumes to protesters in an attempt to keep this movement going. It has inspired national “No Kings” rallies nationwide and other inflatable protests in Chicago and Austin. As of late 2025, protests like these continue around the country, in hopes to gain an even bigger voice and make a change.