Protests continued Tuesday outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office at the Federal Building in Eugene.
Dozens of people gathered there in hopes of slowing ICE's detainment efforts. One protester spoke with federal law enforcement officers, asking them to quit their jobs.
Meanwhile, the local chapter of Veterans for Peace called for the release of Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry, an army veteran who ICE arrested in Washington in August.
"As veterans, we are all anti-fascist," Veterans for Peace spokesperson Pat Driscoll told KLCC. "But now is the time for everyone to stand up, speak out and resist the rising tide of fascism in this country."
Tuesday’s events come as the Trump administration said it’s designating “Antifa” as a domestic terrorist organization, and deploying the National Guard in Portland.
Jacob Griffin with the Trans Alliance of Lane County said as a trans man, he’s "scared to death" to continue protesting, as he believes he could be arrested under this administration. But Griffin said he's even more afraid of what would happen if he stopped.
“Just think how flipped our country has become when we're protecting the people who are harming the immigrants and we're trying to say that people can't speak freely," he said. "Everything that I believe and value about this country is being destroyed.”
Last week, a protest at the Eugene Federal Building led to five arrests. All of those arrested have since been released from custody, according to local activists.
The Eugene Police Department alleged last week that one of those arrested, Ryan Steven Payne, had potentially pepper-sprayed another person. But Payne isn’t currently facing charges of Unlawful Use of Mace, according to court records. He has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor harassment.
On Rep. Hoyle
At Tuesday’s event, some protestors expressed frustration at comments from Oregon U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Springfield, following her recent visit to the Eugene ICE field office.
Speaking to reporters last week, Hoyle said ICE officials told her the Eugene office is focused on detaining undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes, and that large sweeps are coming from teams in Portland.
Rob Fisette, an organizer with the Lane County Immigrant Defense Network, claims that’s a lie.
According to ICE data compiled by the Deportation Data Project, there were 100 people detained in the Eugene Holding Room between the start of January through July 28 of this year.
Out of those people, 47 were listed as “other immigration violators,” meaning they had no known criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.
“Val Hoyle can connect with any one of us, and we can tell her exactly what's happening. We can show her the documentation of what's been happening, and she can go in prepared to fight back against those claims,” said Fisette. “And she did not do it.”
In a statement to KLCC by email Tuesday, Hoyle said she'd met with several immigrant advocacy groups this year—including United for Immigrant Justice, Oregon Indivisible, Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, Innovation Law Lab, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, and the ACLU of Oregon.
Hoyle said she had shared what she was told and had observed during her visit to ICE.
"I’ll keep asking questions and pushing for accountability, including by visiting the Tacoma facility in the coming months,” she wrote. “As always, I invite anyone experiencing difficulties with immigration enforcement to reach out to my office for assistance, and I welcome any groups interested in meeting with us to get in touch.”
