Deschutes DA Hummel ‘disgusted’ by federal response to ICE protest

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) --After a nearly 12-hour standoff between hundreds of protesters and federal agents, several officials are are speaking out, and one of the most forthright is Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel.

Hummel told NewsChannel 21 on Thursday, "They wanted the troops from Seattle and Portland to come in, they wanted the showdown, they wanted to storm in, they wanted to put our community at risk -- and that's what disgusted me."

Hummel said he feels the public should have been made aware of the criminal charges against the two men, something ICE officials said they cannot detail due to a lawsuit filed over Wednesday's events.

"If you've got allegations here of a serious physical crime of violence -- murder, assault, attempted murder, rape -- let me know, I can tell the crowd here that. I'm confident that will quell the tension here," Hummel said.

Several other officials also responded by Twitter. Bend Mayor Sally Russell posted: "To be clear, in no way do I support ICE. Nor can our Bend Police Force, because Oregon is a sanctuary state and it is illegal. I am very worried for everyone in our community, and especially our Latinx community."

Gov. Kate Brown also issued multiple tweets on the matter, one reading, "I am appalled by the callous actions of the Trump Administration yesterday in Bend to target immigrant communities and forcefully disperse a crowd of concerned community members and clergy who for hours held the line against injustice."