ASTORIA, Ore. — Cellphone video shared by The Daily Astorian with KGW shows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arresting Fabian Alberto Zamora-Rodriguez after a court appearance Thursday in Clatsop County.
Zamora-Rodriguez was arrested in February on 12 felonies -- 8 of those for encouraging the sexual abuse of a child.
After emerging from the courtroom, he's immediately surrounded by a group of supporters trying to escort him out of the courthouse.
In the video, you can hear the agents telling him to stop resisting, and after a few minutes, they deploy pepper spray at the group.
Zamora-Rodriguez was then arrested and led out in handcuffs.
Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin was made aware of the agent's plans.
In November, voters voted against repealing Oregon's sanctuary status.
Bergin was one of 16 sheriffs that signed on against the sanctuary state status.
"Why are we creating safe zones for individuals that are here doing illegal acts?" Bergin asked.
Most counties in Oregon say courthouses should be a safe place for people to come. In 2017, Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese said, “We need all Mult Co residents, no matter their immigration status, to feel confident going to law enforcement w/o worry of deportation."
Bergin says the notion that allowing ICE into a courthouse will deter people from coming into court or reporting crimes has been exaggerated.
"We work with all individuals and all races and from everywhere. People come in here and report stuff all the time. I think that that's been blown so far out of proportion that it's ludicrous," he said.
When KGW contacted ICE to confirm details of the video and where Zamora-Rodriguez was taken, a spokesperson said that, because of privacy issues, they couldn't comment.