Wild brawl in Oregon as activists smash cars and wield bats in clash with ICE agents in Dem stronghold

Published: 05:48 EDT, 12 October 2026 | Updated: 05:49 EDT, 12 October 2026

Immigration enforcement deployed tear gas as a wild brawl with activists in Oregon shrieking ‘Get the f**k out of Salem!’ smashed cars and wielded baseball bats at besieged ICE agents.

The confrontation erupted on Saturday morning after ICE agents reported roughly 30 people were preventing them from leaving a parking lot in the state’s capital city.

Dramatic footage shows one demonstrator swinging a bat at a black federal vehicle, knocking off its side-view mirror as it crawls through the lot, while horns blare in the background amid a barrage of expletives.

Clash: Anti-ICE attacks occurred in Salem, with a protester appearing to grab an agent by the neck before being sprayed with what appears to be tear gas or mace

Violence: Around 30 chaotic anti-ICE rioters threatened federal agents and attacked their vehicle while attempting to trap them inside an Oregon parking lot

The situation escalated when federal agents deployed tear gas to disperse the crowd and clear a path for their vehicles, according to information relayed to police.

Shortly afterward, 911 calls came in from people reporting eye irritation and difficulty breathing, both common reactions to riot control agents.

First responders provided medical assistance at the scene, while detectives began collecting witness statements and evidence.

In video from a similar outburst on Friday, a protester in Salem is seen trying to grab an ICE agent by the neck and punch him, before being sprayed.

Cars and people on foot proudly holding up Mexican flags attempt to stop the ICE agents from leaving the gas station.

‘Our officers respond to disturbances such as this solely to de-escalate, provide medical aid when necessary, and collect evidence so that the appropriate oversight agencies can conduct their review,’ a City of Salem spokesperson said to WRDW.

But the confrontation also sparked criticism of ICE from Democratic Congresswoman Andrea Salinas, who questioned the agents’ use of force and accused them of escalating tensions.

Flashpoint: Salem police said officers were dispatched after ICE agents reported being attacked and prevented from leaving a parking lot in the city

‘I’m deeply concerned about their use of force and their impulse to escalate the situation against Oregonians,’ Salinas said.

The congresswoman alleged that ICE agents had followed and harassed American citizens and driven recklessly, putting other motorists at risk.

She also reported that ICE operations had shut down portions of Oregon Route 99E.

‘If Trump were not using ICE to threaten and terrorize our communities, Oregonians would have been safer today, plain and simple,’ Salinas said.

‘It’s clear ICE is either not trained or has no desire to deescalate situations or operate safely,’ she added.

Reaction: Democratic U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas of Oregon condemned the methods deployed by ICE after seeing the footage of Saturday’s brawl

Salem police said their response focused on de-escalating the disturbance, providing medical assistance and gathering evidence for review.

The Daily Mail has reached out to ICE as well as the Salem Police Department for comment.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and their conduct have been a source of contention across the country, with Democrats speaking out against how illegal immigrants are being arrested and deported.

This week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani branded ICE ‘rotten to its core’ and demanded the agency leave the Big Apple.

It comes after massive protests erupted after an agent shot a father inside his car while his five-year-old child was in the vehicle.

Show of force: Federal officers square up to demonstrators at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, Oregon, last October

Takedown: Border Patrol agents detain a demonstrator outside the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Facility in Portland, Oregon, earlier clashes

Not welcome: Anti-ICE activists make their voices heard outside an immigration facility in Portland, Oregon, in January

Oscar Belgal, 28, survived the shooting and was taken to hospital, where he remains conscious and is receiving medical attention. His injuries are not considered life-threatening, according to law enforcement officials.

Federal agents were reportedly targeting Belgal as part of an enforcement operation.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said he was a Dominican man with a prior criminal conviction for grand larceny and multiple other arrests involving assault, robbery, drug possession and weapons possession.

Belgal is also alleged to have ties to the Trinitarios gang, which was responsible for the killing of a Customs and Border Protection officer last year. Federal agents were reportedly investigating whether he had links to a migrant moped gang shooting.

Mamdani described the incident as ‘unconscionable and incredibly serious’ in a social media post, adding that his ‘thoughts are with the injured New Yorker and his family tonight. We are praying for his recovery.’

The mayor said he later spoke with President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to demand that ICE agents be removed from the city, but his efforts were unsuccessful.

‘Now I made clear to the president, to the secretary, our request [is] that ICE agents leave the scene entirely — as well as the demand that ICE stop its enforcement actions in New York City,’ he said.

‘We know, and I have said this directly, whether to the president or to the public, ICE undermines public safety. It makes us less safe,’ he argued.

Meanwhile, other cities in Oregon have fumed against the presence of ICE in their vicinity. Earlier this year, the mayor of Portland told ICE agents to ‘resign’ and ordered the agency to leave after a young girl was tear-gassed along with other ‘peaceful protesters.’

Demonstrators at an ‘ICE out’ protest outside an immigration facility were struck with the chemical agent, along with pepper balls and rubber bullets in February 2026.

A video posted to Instagram showed a little girl crying as she attempted to recover after federal agents deployed tear gas.

‘It burns,’ the young girl appears to say.

The girl, who appears to be a preteen, could be seen wearing a pink shirt with butterflies as a protester douses her eyes with water.

‘Good job, spit it out,’ someone can be heard saying as the girl appears distraught.

Keith Wilson, the city’s Democrat mayor, echoed the words of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in asking the organization to get out.

‘To those who continue to work for ICE: Resign. To those who control this facility: Leave,’ Wilson said in a statement.