FBI questions Oregon photographer about protesters’ identities

Independent photographer Robert Scherle was questioned at his Eugene, Oregon, home by FBI agents on Feb. 4, 2026, about the identities of people who attended protests he covered.

Scherle told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he has been documenting recent demonstrations at Eugene’s Federal Building, where Department of Homeland Security immigration enforcement operations are based.

The building had been the focal point of escalating anti-deportation protests in the city during late January, Eugene Weekly reported. On Jan. 30, it was vandalized and windows were damaged.

Scherle said that two FBI agents, a man and a woman wearing civilian clothing, came to his door, and showed him their badges and identification. The agents were affiliated with the Eugene agency of the FBI’s Portland, Oregon, field office.

“They immediately said, ‘You’re not in any trouble at all. We just want to talk to you, don’t worry.’ And then they started asking me if I had photos to share with them of protesters destroying federal property, and I said no.”

Scherle said they then asked if he could help them identify other protesters. He told the agents that he could not identify anyone because the scene was “too chaotic,” and the protesters were wearing masks.

While the agents were not threatening or coercive, Scherle added, he was “stressed” by the encounter.

“It was sort of just an implied threat, just by the fact that they’re there,” he said.

He added that the agents did not ask the journalist to follow up with them, but did provide a business card upon request.

The FBI’s Portland office did not respond to the Tracker’s emailed request for comment.

In a statement to Eugene Weekly, the office said: “During our investigative efforts, we have interviewed members of the public who were taking images and/or video on the ground that evening and asked for footage. Should an interviewee identify themselves as a member of the media and produce identification or credentials, we have processes in place to request information that adheres to the Constitutional right ensuring freedom of the press.”

While covering a Jan. 27 protest at the Federal Building and the response by DHS officers, Scherle was shoved and hit with crowd-control munitions and a chemical irritant, and later that evening was again hit with projectiles.