An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was hurt early this morning while trying to arrest a person in Northwest Austin.
Austin-Travis County EMS was called to the scene after a scuffle broke out. EMS confirmed to KUT that at least one person was taken to an ER, but stopped short of identifying the person.
At a news conference this afternoon, Interim Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said police were called to the scene because the suspect was “grabbing at” an ICE officer’s gun. He said police officers were not aware of the ICE operation beforehand and did not know why the suspect was stopped.
The man was already in custody when police arrived, Manley said, and ICE agents asked for help with disruptive bystanders. Police arrested two women after discovering they had outstanding warrants.
EMS told KUT that medical personnel were later called back to the scene. There are conflicting reports about the number of arrests.
The incident occurred along U.S. Highway 183, north of Anderson Mill Road in Austin's District 6. District 6's Austin City Council Member Jimmy Flannigan questioned on Twitter why an ICE officer was involved in a traffic stop.
Immigration is stopping cars in #atxd6? Will be looking into the details - how is ICE choosing who to stop in our very diverse district? https://t.co/Bb77DYkNyu
— Jimmy Flannigan (@JimmyFlannigan) February 10, 2017
In a statement, District 4 Council Member Greg Casar confirmed there had been immigration actions in Austin in the last 24 hours and said he thought they were retaliation for the community standing up to Gov. Greg Abbott and President Donald Trump:
ICE actions like these are beyond reprehensible. They instill fear in the community, and they make everyday people fear for their lives. Trump and his allies will do everything they can to divide Americans, invoke fear in vulnerable neighborhoods, and demonize an entire community of people. Undoubtedly, ICE officials will attempt to justify themselves by holding up the actions of a few people to imply that the all undocumented immigrants are criminals. This is disturbing and morally wrong. I will be in District 4 today speaking to the community and ensuring that my constituents are aware of their rights. The goal of these ICE actions is to silence us. We will not be silenced.
This is a developing story. We'll update this post as more information becomes available.