A 28-year-old Portland woman accused of punching a police officer during a protest outside the city's ICE facility has entered an Alford plea and been ordered to complete 80 hours of community service, closing out a case that began with assault allegations more than a year ago. Geovanna Alexis Carrasco pleaded to disorderly conduct and criminal mischief after her arrest on June 11, 2025.
According to The Oregonian/OregonLive, prosecutors say Carrasco punched Officer Jade Lowery in the face and, per the arrest affidavit, grabbed the officer from behind and wrapped an arm around Lowery's neck. The Alford plea allows Carrasco to accept a conviction and sentence without admitting guilt, a legal mechanism recognized under the U.S. Supreme Court precedent in North Carolina v. Alford, which requires only that a defendant acknowledge prosecutors hold enough evidence to convince a jury, according to Justia.
Carrasco was arrested after intervening in an attempted arrest at the ICE facility in Portland's South Waterfront, per the probable cause affidavit cited in the same report. She had originally been booked into Multnomah County Detention Center on two counts of assaulting a public safety officer, according to a statement from the Portland Police Bureau describing the incident, which followed an attempted debris fire outside the building.
From Felony Counts to Misdemeanor Conditions
The case now involves disorderly conduct and criminal mischief. Her conviction will be dismissed six months after the hearing if she completes the conditions of her plea, the station's report notes.
Those conditions extend beyond community service. Carrasco must also adhere to restrictions on protest activities, including a bar on possessing potentially dangerous objects at protests and a requirement to obey law-enforcement orders. She is additionally barred from going within three blocks of the ICE facility, per the same account.
Speaking after the hearing, Carrasco said she was happy to do acts of service for her community. She also maintained her innocence, saying, “I still believe my innocence.”
Co-Defendants' Charges Dismissed
Carrasco's arrest came alongside two co-defendants, Trenton E. Barker and Austin J. Deever, who were both arrested on June 11, 2025, for allegedly setting fire to debris outside the ICE building. Charges against both men were ultimately dismissed entirely, according to the report. Hoodline's earlier coverage detailed the trio's initial arrest following the demonstration.
The outcome fits a broader pattern in how Multnomah County has handled protest-related arrests at the site. Since August 2020, District Attorney Mike Schmidt's office has followed a policy of presumptively declining charges for non-violent protest activity, reserving prosecution for cases involving physical force, assault, or deliberate property destruction, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.
Local Police Kept at Arm's Length From Federal Enforcement
The case also underscores the divide between local and federal authority at the South Waterfront facility. Under Portland Police Bureau Directive 810.10, city officers are prohibited from participating in federal immigration enforcement activities, confining their role to enforcing state criminal statutes and maintaining public safety, per Portland.gov. At the facility, police response is limited to active criminal conduct.
Officer Jade Lowery, named in Carrasco's arrest affidavit, was the officer Carrasco was accused of punching.
Demonstrations at the facility, owned by developer Stuart Lindquist through 4310 Building LLC and leased to the federal government for roughly $2.45 million annually through 2033, have continued for well over a year, per a discussion on Reddit citing property records. By January 2026, Portland Police had recorded 86 total arrests tied to ongoing protest activity at the site, according to the bureau's own accounting.
Carrasco's plea is tied to the South Waterfront ICE facility.
