(The Center Square) – In the first Tukwila City Council meeting since an escalated protest occurred on Saturday, Mayor Thomas McLeod said the city was blindsided by strange messages related to Department of Homeland Security operations over the past weekend.
According to McLeod, the city received a “cryptic and confusing message” late Friday afternoon that told individuals with pending immigration hearings to report to DHS on Saturday and Sunday to check in, with failure to report to be considered a violation.
The Tukwila Police Department was unable to confirm the validity of the message and posted on social media that it received conflicting information, noting the facility is normally closed on the weekends.
“We had no communication as a city with either DHS or ICE that anything was planned,” McLeod said during Monday night’s city council meeting.
On Saturday, Federal Protective Services officers were essentially trapped in the DHS building by approximately 75 protesters who blocked entrances with street posts and other objects. The Tukwila Police Department was called by DHS to assist and clear the sidewalk and roadway.
The Tukwila Police Department described protesters as dressed in black with makeshift shields. The protesters had already reportedly caused property damage including spray painting property nearby.
Officers gave verbal commands for the crowd to disperse, which the department notes many complied with, moving out of the drive to the sidewalk where they continued protesting. However, a contingent of demonstrators remained despite police commands.
Members of the Tukwila Police Department’s Civil Disturbance Unit and Department of Homeland Security personnel moved in to clear the barricades and were met with frozen water bottles and rocks hurled at them. The escalating crowd led to the deployment of pepper spray and pepper balls, which cleared the drive within 12 minutes of Tukwila police officers arriving on scene.
McLeod notes that Tukwila police officers used a limited number of pepper balls, but did not deploy tear gas, which was initially reported by other media outlets.
The Tukwila Police Department reported that no arrests were made despite projectiles being thrown at officers.
Following McLeod’s opening statement, the majority of public commenters spoke favorably of the police department’s efforts to disperse the crowds and raised concerns about ICE’s immigration enforcement. Others expressed frustrations with the protesters who defiled the DHS building, including one public commenter, who called the protesters “anarchists” and “rioters” that ruined the neighborhood.
“I want to assure you that the chief of police and I are committed to full transparency regarding the event on Saturday, and from what I have initially seen, the protest was largely peaceful and I do support the right to gather and protest safely,” McLeod said. “Like all Washington state police departments, Tukwila PD does not participate or assist with enforcement of federal immigration policies.”
Protesters gathered outside of the DHS office again on Sunday, but no incidents were reported.
