Federal agents got boxed in by about 30 protesters in a Salem, Oregon parking lot Saturday. One swung a baseball bat and knocked the mirror off a federal SUV. Agents answered with tear gas.
Saturday was the second straight day of clashes. On Friday, a protester jumped on the hood of a federal vehicle, grabbed an agent by the neck and threw a punch, video from the scene shows. The protester got hit with mace.
Salem police say Saturday’s confrontation started around 9:30 in the morning near Lancaster Drive and Sunnyview Road. Federal agents called to report about 30 people had surrounded their vehicles and were blocking them in with cars. By the time local officers got there, the agents had already fired tear gas and pepper balls, cleared the crowd and driven off.
911 dispatchers took multiple calls from people struggling to breathe after the gas went off. Salem firefighters treated people at the scene. Police say they had no warning about the ICE operation beforehand and did not coordinate with the feds. They are handing what they gathered to the Oregon Department of Justice and Homeland Security.
“Salem Police Officers had no prior knowledge of the activity in this incident and did not coordinate in any way with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
Salem Police Department
Congresswoman Andrea Salinas weighed in Saturday afternoon, saying ICE operations are not making Oregon communities safer. The clashes come as federal agents have stepped up immigration enforcement across the state, with protesters tracking their movements and showing up to block them.
Two days, two clashes, and neither side is blinking.
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