Leftist protesters in Oregon attacked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on Saturday, using a bat to smash a vehicle and yelling at the officers to leave the area.
What happened
The incident occurred in a parking lot in Salem, near a Walgreens, where ICE officers were conducting targeted enforcement operations. The protesters, some of whom appeared to be affiliated with the group known as Antifa, surrounded the officers and used violence against them, prompting the deployment of crowd control munitions, including tear gas and pepper balls.
Video footage showed a person dressed in dark clothing using a baseball bat to smash the side mirror of a black SUV, while another person yelled at the officers to leave Salem. The protesters also waved foreign flags at the officers' vehicles and used their vehicles to block the officers' path.
According to federal sources, local and state law enforcement did not assist in managing the crowd, leaving the ICE officers to fend for themselves. The incident is part of a larger surge in ICE activity in Oregon, which has been targeting criminal illegal aliens convicted of crimes such as child sexual abuse, burglary, and drug trafficking.
