A man who admitted attacking a federal officer during protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon, last year has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.
Robert Jacob Hoopes had previously pleaded guilty to aggravated assault of a federal employee with a dangerous weapon, according to court records.
Prosecutors said the case stemmed from a June 2025 demonstration, when Hoopes threw a rock that hit an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer in the face. Court documents said the impact caused significant injuries.
The officer’s wound bled heavily and impaired his vision, prosecutors said. He also needed medical care beyond basic first aid.
Along with the prison term handed down Thursday, Hoopes was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay more than $8,000 in restitution.
US Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott Bradford said the sentence should serve as a warning. “Today’s message is clear — violence is not a protest,” Bradford said in a statement. “When you cross the line and assault a federal officer, you will be prosecuted.”
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, FBI investigators identified Hoopes using facial recognition technology.
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.
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 Trump’s immigration policies.
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.
