SPOKANE, WA – A protest at the Spokane Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office on Wednesday afternoon drew a large crowd and heavy law enforcement presence, eventually resulting in over 30 arrests and a city-imposed curfew.
Community members gathered to protest the detention of a 21-year-old Venezuelan man seeking asylum. Former Spokane City Councilman Ben Stuckart, who said he became the man’s legal guardian three weeks ago, posted a call to action on Facebook urging others to join the demonstration. Stuckart stated that the man and his friend, also from Venezuela, were detained while arriving at the ICE office for a scheduled check-in, despite having filed asylum paperwork.
Protesters surrounded a red van believed to be used by Spokane Sheriff’s deputies for transferring ICE detainees, linking arms and chanting, “Let them go.” The demonstration, which began peacefully, later escalated. According to Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown, protesters vandalized an ICE vehicle by spray-painting its windshield and flattening the tire of another vehicle.
Mayor Brown said that, following the escalation, she and her cabinet decided it was safer for Spokane Police—not federal agents—to intervene. Around the time police arrived at Washington and Cataldo, a second group of protesters began marching from Riverfront Park and joined the demonstration.
Due to the growing unrest, the Spokane Police Department declared an unlawful assembly. Mayor Brown declared a state of emergency and announced a curfew from 9:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. for the area between Division and Howard, and Spokane Falls Boulevard north to Boone.
Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall said more than 180 officers responded to the scene. Tactical teams were called in after behavior escalated. Officers issued multiple dispersal orders before beginning arrests. Stuckart was among the first arrested, with jail records showing he was booked on a charge of failure to disperse.
By 10:00 p.m., Hall confirmed that over 30 arrests had been made, mostly for misdemeanors. He said no tear gas was used; instead, police used inert smoke and pepper balls fired at the ground near demonstrators as a method of crowd dispersal.
As the curfew took effect, most protesters had left the area, though some continued to confront law enforcement.
