Portland leaders this week condemned federal agents’ use of pepper balls on bystanders in a North Portland neighborhood last week when they gathered to document the arrest of a parent who was detained by immigration authorities.
Erik Téllez was on his way to drop his 15- and 17-year-old children at Roosevelt High School in North Portland on Thursday when he was pulled out of his car by federal agents.
The arrest happened around 8:30 a.m. near the intersection of North Buchanan Avenue and North Fessenden Street and drew dozens of neighbors into the streets to record the arrest and push back against immigration authorities in confrontations that grew increasingly heated.
Neighbor Jaslyn Devi Cincotta, who said she was one of the first people on scene, said she saw Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shoot pepper balls at the feet of an especially active protester and physically push away others. As agents were driving away they again fired pepper balls into the ground, the neighbor said, “causing the entire neighborhood, including a child walking to school, to burst into coughing and get water to wash the burning out of our eyes.” The Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition, which verifies and tracks immigration arrests in Oregon, also said agents shot pepper balls during the encounter.
Mayor Keith Wislon, along with Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney, and councilors Sameer Kanal and Dan Ryan, jointly condemned the use of chemical munitions on Tuesday.
City leaders said the incident marked the first known instance of federal agents using such force in Portland neighborhoods, not including outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in South Portland. However, video from Hillsboro earlier this year also appears to show immigration agents spraying bystanders with pepper spray.
“ICE activity in North Portland, including the recent unnecessary, unjustified, and potentially unconstitutional use of chemical munitions, directly contradicts Portland’s values,” the mayor and city councilors said in a statement. “As Portland’s civic leaders, we condemn ICE’s unjustified, disruptive, and escalatory conduct, which undermines public trust in government.”
City leaders urged federal authorities to “immediately cease the use of chemical munitions” in Portland’s neighborhoods. They also called on federal agents to wear body-worn cameras and identify themselves when they’re out in the community.
Immigration authorities have not responded to several requests seeking comment about the use of pepper balls and about the rules agents must follow to ensure public safety while carrying out arrests.
Téllez’s niece, Najeli Salinas, started a GoFundMe for Téllez and his wife who have three children, including a 6-month-old.
Téllez “provided for his entire family. Without him, his wife and kids are now struggling to cover rent, bills, food and basic needs while trying to cope emotionally with this sudden crisis,” she wrote.
Immigration authorities have not responded to questions about why they detained Téllez. Public records show that he was arrested in 2017 for driving under the influence, but those charges were later dismissed by a judge. Prosecutors agreed to allow Téllez to take a substance abuse class instead of facing charges, an option that is available for low-level offenders.
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