ICE Agents Violently Clash With Frederick Protesters After 2-Day Stakeout in Neighborhood

Federal immigration agents violently clashed with protesters in Frederick on Friday night, using their vehicles to clear sidewalks and dragging protesters from the front porch of a home they attempted to enter, city officials said.

The escalation occurred after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents staked out a small neighborhood in the Taskers Chance area for about 40 hours starting at 6 a.m. Thursday. A couple of dozen community members gathered to watch the federal agents as more of them began to pour in and spread across the few streets of the subdivision.

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Encounters remained peaceful until about 9:30 p.m. Friday, when five or six vehicles lined up on Stoneybrook Court and began flashing their lights, City Council President César Díaz said. Soon after, the federal agents drove onto the sidewalk, where observers were standing and chanting, Díaz said.

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Some of the observers moved to the road, sat and linked arms, he said. In videos, they can be heard chanting, “We shall not be moved.” Others linked arms and walked to the front of the house the agents appeared to be targeting.

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Minutes later, Nash said, the federal agents pulled out batons and hit people who had formed a “human barrier” in front of the home. Although people were blocking the agents from entering, she said, none of the observers was violent or throwing things toward the federal agents.

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Videos from the scene show Enforcement and Removal Operations agents, along with others in unmarked green police vests, charge the house and drag those protesters sitting in front of the home. Some agents piled on top of them. Frederick officers stood nearby, though they did not appear to engage with protesters or aid the ERO agents.

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A handful of federal agents then opened the door of the home and entered, according to the videos, and a person was standing at the door.

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