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PORTLAND, Ore. — <\/span>An appeals court has paused lower court rulings in Oregon that restricted federal officers’ use of tear gas during protests<\/a> at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland.<\/p>\n A three-judge panel at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the Trump administration’s request for temporary administrative stays in two cases on Wednesday. The 2-1 decision came from two judges appointed by President Donald Trump, with the dissenting judge appointed by former President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n The building has been the site of persistent protests<\/a> over the administration’s aggressive deportation practices since last June, including months of nightly demonstrations<\/a> and repeated efforts by federal authorities to disperse even small crowds with chemical munitions. At a large-scale demonstration in late January, they fired tear gas at hundreds of people, including children, during a daytime march.<\/p>\n The federal responses prompted one lawsuit by the ACLU of Oregon on behalf of protesters and freelance journalists, and another by residents of an affordable housing complex<\/a> across from the Portland ICE building. The lawsuits argue that federal officers’ use of chemical and projectile munitions has violated the rights of protesters and residents.<\/p>\n The Department of Homeland Security, a defendant in both cases, has said it is authorized to do what is appropriate and necessary to defuse violence against officers. <\/p>\n Earlier this month, the federal judges in Portland overseeing the separate cases both issued<\/a>preliminary injunctions<\/a> limiting federal agents from using chemical munitions unless someone poses an imminent threat. The Trump administration appealed the rulings.<\/p>\n In its order, the 9th Circuit panel said oral arguments in the two cases will be consolidated and scheduled for April 7.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n