The ACLU released video of ICE agents slashing observers’ car tire. Feds are now investigating

Key Points:

• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is investigating an incident in Hillsboro, Oregon, where a federal immigration agent allegedly slashed a tire on a car carrying two U.S. citizens who were filming ICE agents, according to a civil rights complaint filed by the ACLU.
• The complaint details how ICE agents tailed the observers, attempted to box them in with vehicles, and an agent exited his car to slash a tire after the observers had filmed agents in a Safeway parking lot on October 7.
• The ACLU characterized the incident as part of a broader pattern of retaliation by ICE against people documenting their activities, including intimidation, harassment, and unlawful stops, and called for accountability and changes in ICE training and oversight.
• The First Amendment protects the right to record law enforcement in public, and the ACLU emphasized that retaliation against this right is unlawful; similar cases have been reported in multiple U.S. cities.
• A DHS spokesperson confirmed the investigation and stated that ICE officers are trained to use minimal force and uphold high standards of professionalism, but declined further comment at this time.