A controversial call to aim laser beams at the sky to disturb federal helicopters over South Portland has sparked significant safety worries and compelled a critical trauma center to alter its air ambulance routes.

Hosted on Rose City Counter-Info’s homepage, a site that identifies as an “anarchist counter-info platform” in Portland, Oregon, the online flyer invites individuals to participate in a “laser tag” event targeting federal aircraft.

The flyer advises participants to wear masks, work in groups, and take precautions to avoid being traced, such as cleaning laser pointers with alcohol, using gloves, and eliminating any DNA evidence before discarding them.

Due to the anticipated event, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) reported that several air ambulance operators refused to use the hospital’s rooftop helipad on Saturday night, as per KGW reports.

This resulted in helicopters being redirected to nearby airports, requiring patients to be transported to OHSU by ground, which added an estimated 45 to 60 minutes to their journey.

“For most patients, that will be an acceptable delay. However, for some sensitive situations, such as unstable trauma patients, STEMIs and strokes, the delay could have real impacts,” OHSU said in an email to KGW. 

The hospital also advised staff to “incorporate additional transit time into their decision-making,” and strongly urged the public not to participate in the laser event, calling it “extremely dangerous.”

OHSU later clarified that the decision to divert flights was made by the air ambulance vendors themselves, not the hospital.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) emphasized that pointing lasers at aircraft endangers both pilots and people on the ground and is prohibited under state and federal law. 

The bureau added it “regularly” arrests individuals for targeting police aircraft with lasers, including one arrest earlier this week. While police confirmed they were monitoring the ICE building on Saturday, they said the presence was not greater than usual. Police also reported no laser strikes that night.

The Port of Portland, which oversees general aviation in the region, acknowledged the uptick in helicopter and propeller aircraft activity.

“We are aware of the higher volume of helicopter and propeller airplane activity over South and Southwest Portland,” the Port said. “This appears to be related to federal law enforcement and/or military activity and is not a development the Port of Portland can control.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has also condemned the call to target aircraft with lasers, warning that the act is a federal crime.

“Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft is a federal crime. This is incredibly dangerous for the aircraft personnel and for the public’s safety,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a previous statement to Fox News Digital. “Antifa domestic terrorists WILL NOT overrun our cities. We will bust their networks and bring every one of them to justice.”

“Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft is a federal crime. This is incredibly dangerous for the aircraft personnel and for the public’s safety,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a previous statement to Fox News Digital. “Antifa domestic terrorists WILL NOT overrun our cities. We will bust their networks and bring every one of them to justice.”

Earlier this week, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem visited the ICE facility in Portland, where she prayed with officers dealing with the ongoing unrest.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, however, disputed characterizations of widespread disorder. “There is no insurrection,” Kotek said, expressing confidence that “local law enforcement will meet the moment.”

She added that during her meeting with Noem, she reiterated Oregon’s expectation that DHS and ICE operations comply with state law.

Kotek joins several other Democratic governors who have pushed back against the Trump administration’s expanded federal enforcement efforts.

Fox News Digital has reached out to OHSU for comment. 

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.