Portland man sentenced to 30 months for throwing rock at ICE officer
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A man who admitted to assaulting a federal officer during protests outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon, last year was sentenced Thursday to 30 months in federal prison.
Robert Jacob Hoopes previously pleaded guilty to aggravated assault on a federal employee with a dangerous weapon.
According to court documents, Hoopes threw a rock during a protest in June 2025 that struck an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer in the face, “causing serious injury.”
Prosecutors said the officer’s wound was bleeding heavily and obstructing his vision. The officer also required medical treatment beyond basic first aid.
SUSPECT ICE PLANT ATTACKERS ARRESTED IN BLUE CITY, CHARGED WITH ATTACKING FEDERAL OFFICERS
Law enforcement officers apprehend a demonstrator in front of U.S. Immigration and Customs during a protest in Portland, Oregon, 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. he said. “When you cross the line and attack 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 Fox News Digital, FBI investigators identified Hoopes using facial recognition technology.
AG BONDI SAID THE FBI NAMED THE SUSPECT ACCUSED OF ATTACKING A FEDERAL OFFICER WHEN TRUMP SAID A HARD REPLY
Anti-ICE protesters confront federal agents outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, Oregon, on October 18, 2025. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty)
According to charging documents, researchers sent a photo published by OregonLive.com to commercially available facial recognition software.
Federal officials said the software generated about 30 potential matches from public databases.
The researchers then examined the results and identified a photo on the Reed College SmugMug page titled “April 23 Canyon Day.” Prosecutors said the tattoo visible on the man’s forearm matched one seen on the suspect during the June 14 protest.
HUNDREDS OF ICE-FIGHT PROTESTERS BLOCKED STREETS IN PORTLAND
Federal agents clash with anti-ICE protesters outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, Oregon, on October 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 his son’s participation in the protest, he declined to discuss his specific involvement.
“What was his involvement: I can’t talk about that, but he is deeply committed to justice,” KATU quoted him as saying.
The Justice Department has pursued cases against several people accused of attacking federal officers during protests tied to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Brendan John Geier was arrested and charged for allegedly assaulting federal officers during a protest outside Newark’s Delaney Hall detention center, authorities said. (Acting for AG Todd Blanche via X; Selçuk Acar/Anadolu)
More recently, clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement outside Delaney Hall, an immigrant detention center in Newark, New Jersey, have resulted in dozens of arrests.
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
