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Spokane Police arrest over 30 during immigration protests amid ICE detention dispute
Immigration protests in Spokane lead to dozens of arrests
Two major immigration protests in Spokane on Wednesday, June 11, led to more than 30 arrests and the imposition of a citywide curfew, following a confrontation between demonstrators and federal immigration authorities. The unrest centered around the detention of two
asylum seekers
at a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office.
Mayor Lisa Brown implemented a curfew beginning at 9:30 p.m. for the area encompassing Riverfront Park and parts of downtown Spokane. It marked the first curfew since the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. The affected zone extended from Boone Avenue to Spokane Falls Boulevard, and from Howard Street to Division Street.
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'We want everybody to be safe and we thought this was the best path forward in order to achieve that,' said Brown to The Spokane Review. 'I made the decision that the safest course of action was by
Spokane Police
, not ICE, to try to safely disperse the crowd', she added.
Community response to asylum seeker detentions sparks protest
The protests began when demonstrators blocked ICE officers from leaving their downtown office with detained individuals Cesar Alexander Alvarez Perez, a Venezuelan asylum seeker, and Joswar Slater Rodriguez Torres from Colombia. Both men had previously been employed at a local Walmart on work visas, which were recently revoked.
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Former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart called for public support via social media and joined the protest, stating: 'They've done everything right, and they're escaping horrible situations, and then to have them come in for a checkup and be detained illegally is morally reprehensible.'
Stuckart, who became Alvarez Perez's legal guardian weeks prior, said both men arrived for a scheduled check-in but were detained before he could advocate on their behalf. 'Each of them has a stack of legal paperwork at least 2 inches thick... and they clearly didn't look at it,' he said.
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Police response and curfew escalate protests
Law enforcement responded with over 185 officers to manage the protests, deploying pepper balls and smoke grenades, according to Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall. He clarified that rubber bullets were not used.
'Certainly there were peaceful folks demonstrating and utilizing their First Amendment rights, and there were also people in the crowd who were committing crimes,' Hall said.
Protesters constructed barricades using park benches and Lime scooters to block ICE vehicles. Around 5:25 p.m., approximately 150 demonstrators attempted to prevent three unmarked law enforcement vehicles from exiting a fenced lot, leading to physical altercations with officers.
A second protest later that evening at Riverfront Park escalated after 7:30 p.m. when police began making arrests and deploying tear gas. Witnesses said officers used paintball-style weapons before tear gas was released.
Local leaders divided on protest tactics and law enforcement
The protests drew local officials, activists, and residents, including Spokane County Democratic Party Chair Naida Spencer and state Rep. Timm Ormsby. Community leaders expressed concern about ICE tactics and immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration.
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Latinos en Spokane Director Jennyfer Mesa, whose organization represents both detainees, said: 'They're good kids... They're doing the process and everything legally. I just don't understand why they're being detained.'
City Council members expressed varying views on the events. Council President Betsy Wilkerson stated: 'We're not trying to throw more wood on this fire, to elevate it to more than a peaceful protest.'
Councilman Jonathan Bingle offered a contrasting perspective: 'The moment a protest turns into small vandalism, threats, or lawlessness, it is no longer protected speech. It becomes a crime, and should be dealt with as such.'
Councilman Paul Dillon voiced support for the demonstrators. 'No human being is illegal,' he said. 'This is a direct result of the escalation and fears the Trump administration inflicts on communities which create chaos.'
