On Sept. 27, President Trump described Portland, Ore., as a “War ravaged” city that was “under siege from attack by Antifa” mobs protesting ICE raids.

But here is how federal officers described the scene outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in southwest Portland on Sept. 25: “low energy.” The next day the same: “low energy.”

Internal reports from the week before Mr. Trump ordered troops into Portland show that, by and large, the officers observed displays of civil disobedience, including protesters standing in front of vehicles on the road, playing loud music and “flipping a bird,” and an older woman using chalk to write on a wall.

They also described some tense incidents, such as at least two confrontations between protesters and counterprotesters and a suspicious car that “lurched” at Department of Homeland Security officers. But local officials have said the city is well equipped to manage the demonstrations, and that an infusion of federal troops is not warranted.