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A man who admitted to assaulting a federal officer during protests outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon, last year was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison on Thursday.
Robert Jacob Hoopes previously pleaded guilty to aggravated assault of a federal employee with a dangerous weapon.
According to court documents, Hoopes threw a rock during a June 2025 protest that struck an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer in the face, “causing significant injury.”
Prosecutors said the officer’s wound bled heavily and obstructed his vision. The officer also required medical treatment beyond basic first aid.
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Law enforcement officers grab a demonstrator outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs building during a protest in Portland, Ore., on June 14, 2025. (Jenny Kane/AP Photo)
“Today’s message is clear — violence is not a protest,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott Bradford said in a statement. “When you cross the line and assault a federal officer, you will be prosecuted.”
In addition to the prison sentence, Hoopes was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay more than $8,000 in restitution.
As previously reported by Digital, FBI investigators identified Hoopes using facial recognition technology.
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Anti-I.C.E. protesters confront federal agents outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 18, 2025. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty)
According to charging documents, investigators submitted a photograph published by OregonLive.com into commercially available facial recognition software.
Federal authorities said the software generated approximately 30 potential matches from publicly available databases.
Investigators then reviewed the results and identified a photograph on a Reed College SmugMug page titled “Canyon Day April ’23.” Prosecutors said a tattoo visible on the individual’s forearm matched a tattoo seen on the suspect during the June 14 protest.
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Federal agents clashed with anti-I.C.E. protesters outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, Oregon, on Oct. 12, 2025. The protests followed former President Trump’s threat to deploy the National Guard. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty)
Hoopes’ father, Tom Hoopes, previously described his son as a “lifelong Quaker who is deeply committed to pacifism” in an interview with KATU.
While he did not dispute that his son attended the protest, he declined to discuss his specific involvement.
“What his involvement was: I can’t speak to that, but he is deeply committed to justice,” KATU quoted him as saying.
The Justice Department has pursued cases against numerous individuals accused of assaulting federal officers during protests tied to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
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Brendan John Geier was arrested and charged after allegedly assaulting federal officers during a protest outside Newark’s Delaney Hall detention center, authorities said. (Acting AG Todd Blanche via X; Selcuk Acar/Anadolu)
More recently, clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement outside Delaney Hall, an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, have resulted in dozens of arrests.
Digital’s Rachel Wolf and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
