City leaders call ICE force near Portland school "unjustified"
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Local leaders are condemning a dramatic U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest in North Portland's St. Johns neighborhood last week, after a video showed agents firing pepper balls during morning school drop-off time.
The big picture: Mayor Keith Wilson and the three city councilors representing District 2 issued a joint statement Tuesday calling the incident "unnecessary, unjustified, and potentially unconstitutional."
Catch up quick: The arrest occurred around 9am last Thursday on North Fessenden Street, which is a route to George Middle School, when three ICE vehicles surrounded a van, witnesses told KPTV.
- Neighbors told the outlet that a man was pulled out of the car while children were heard crying inside.
- The situation escalated when residents became involved — observing and recording on their phones — and agents shot pepper balls into the crowd as "warning shots," per the video.
Between the lines: This is the first known incident of federal agents using force in Portland neighborhoods outside of the confines of the ICE facility, officials said.
- Detentions and the presence of federal immigration officers in Portland and surrounding suburbs has risen in recent weeks as the Trump administration tripled the agency's arrest quota earlier this year.
What they're saying: "We call on federal authorities to immediately cease the use of chemical munitions in our neighborhoods, wear body-worn cameras, and identify themselves when engaging with our community," the joint statement reads.
- "Chemical munitions cannot, and will not, compel our community to accept ICE enforcement we have not asked for and do not want."