Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained at least 15 people in Lane County on Wednesday, according to local advocates.
Joel Iboa, a member of Oregon for All's steering committee, said there were detainees from Eugene, Springfield, Coburg and Cottage Grove.
"These detentions included mothers, fathers, uncles, immigrant Oregonians trying to make a living to create a better life for themselves and their families," said Iboa. "A lot of these folks were essential workers."
Iboa said five of the people were arrested at the federal Bureau of Land Management offices in Springfield, while trying to get permits to forage for mushrooms or salal berries on federal land.
Iboa said there’s a historical link between local immigrants and that line of the work.
“Those wonderful-tasting mushrooms get to our dinner table because of a lot of the work that immigrant Oregonians do to go and procure them," said Iboa.
BLM's offices are located on Pierce Parkway, and share a building with the U.S. Forest Service and the Oregon National Guard.
In an email to KLCC, BLM spokesperson Camille Bennett said in order to obtain a Special Forest Products permit, a person must visit the facility in-person on a Wednesday.
"The BLM does not currently have alternative ways to obtain these permits for this area," she wrote.
Bennett didn't confirm whether the detainments took place at the building, saying those questions should be directed to ICE and the Oregon Military Department.
Wednesday’s events followed another spike in ICE sightings in the community earlier this month. Iboa said the number of officers and vehicles seen across Oregon has surged since October.
"Folks on the ground are saying that this is this is not more of the same," said Iboa. "This is an increase."
According to figures produced by the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition and shared with Oregon Public Broadcasting, detainments in the state jumped by at least 550% in October compared to previous months.
ICE didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
