At least five people have been detained by federal immigration enforcement officers in Seaside as of early Saturday afternoon.
According to people familiar with the situation, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were reportedly running people’s license plates then pulling them over and taking them into custody. The stops started around 8 a.m. Saturday in Seaside.
It is unclear if the five people detained are still in Clatsop County. The activity comes amid intensified deportation efforts by the Trump administration across the country.
All five of the people detained in Seaside were on their way to jobs in the area, according to Jenny Pool Radway, executive director of the Astoria-based nonprofit Consejo Hispano, which provides services to the Latine communities on Oregon’s North Coast.
Pool Radway called the immigration agents’ approach “a fishing expedition.”
“You’re not picking up someone who is a danger to the community,” she said, adding, “These are our friends, our neighbors, just regular tax-paying community members who are being hunted down.”
In a Facebook post, state Representative Cyrus Javadi, a Tillamook Democrat, said his office had also received reports of possible ICE activity in the Tillamook County area, too.
“If you or someone you know may be vulnerable, please stay safe and consider remaining home until we can confirm more details,” Javadi wrote.
This is a developing story.