Portland Frog Seth Todd Arrested at South Waterfront Protest

Todd is not legally allowed to be near the ICE facility until May.

By Rachel Saslow
January 09, 2026 3:42PM PST


Seth Todd as the Portland Frog (JP Bogan)

The activist who originated the Portland Frog was among six protesters arrested by Portland police at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland on Jan. 8. ICE saw heightened protests at its South Macadam Avenue facility in the aftermath of a Border Patrol officer shooting two people in Southeast Portland earlier in the day.

Seth Todd, 24, was arrested at about 9 pm. A Portland Police Bureau officer used a loudspeaker to repeatedly ask a group of people, including Todd, to move to the sidewalk in order to clear the street for traffic. Todd was charged with second-degree disorderly conduct for interfering with a peace officer. They were booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center.

Todd, who goes by the nickname “Toad,” says they got home by about 1 am this morning after the arrest. Today, they are “doing great.” They were wearing black bloc to the protest, not the inflatable frog suit that made them famous. ... Their account of the arrest is about the same as that of the police. ... “Cops came to move us back on the sidewalk,” Todd says. “I told them that they have no authority to dictate how we protest, and they arrested me.”

The concept of the Portland Frog has expanded nationally since Todd was pepper-sprayed by a federal agent last summer. In December, WW named the Frog its 2025 Portlander of the Year and examined the genesis of the phenomenon, starting with Todd’s protest activity.

(snip}