HILLSBORO, Ore. (KATU) — A Hillsboro couple says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents followed them, boxed in their car and slashed their tire after they recorded federal officers in a grocery store parking lot.
They filed an administrative complaint earlier this month with the Department of Homeland Security, claiming retaliation for a protected First Amendment activity, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The incident began the evening of October 7 in the Safeway parking lot off 185th Avenue and Cornell Road.
According to the complaint and vehicle video provided by the ACLU, they were observing and recording several ICE agents from a distance when the agents approached their car and tried to block them using vehicles and a shopping cart. The couple says they drove away “fearing for their safety,” but agents followed them out of the lot and onto nearby streets, nearly hitting their vehicle and driving aggressively.
The complaint says the ICE vehicles did not activate any lights or sirens during the chase. After agents boxed them in near the intersection of Stucki Avenue and Cornell Road, the couple says one of the agents got out, approached their car without saying anything, pulled out a black knife, and stabbed it towards their rear passenger tire.
In the complaint, the couple said they felt targeted for exercising their rights.
DHS Administrative Complaint – Redacted – courtesy ACLUPDF previewPreview PDF
Via the ACLU | 10-29-2026 Administrative Complaint to DHS _ RE: Tailing, Boxing In, and Vandalizing Vehicle of U.S. Citizens in Hillsboro, Oregon in Retaliation for First Amendment Protected Activity
The complaint also includes a request for the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a full investigation, preserve evidence and discipline the agents involved. It urges DHS to examine broader claims that ICE agents across the country intimidate or retaliate against people who record them in public.
KATU News reached out DHS, and a spokesperson said that the incident is under investigation.
“ICE law enforcement officers are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and our officers,” the DHS spokesperson said. “The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the rule of law and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct.”
The Homeland Security “Emergency Driving” handbook states that law enforcement officers with ICE and HSI can only use tire deflation devices approved by the HSI Special Activities Unit “in conjunction with, or as an alternative to, low-risk or high-risk vehicle pursuits.”
The list of approved devices was not included in the handbook, however, they were defined as “devices, such as road spikes or stop sticks, designed to be placed directly in the path of a suspect vehicle to deflate its tires in a controlled manner.”
The ACLU says the complaint calls not only for an investigation into the Hillsboro incident but also for institutional changes in ICE training, oversight and accountability to protect the public’s right to observe and record law enforcement.
“What happened to us is not unique and that is what is so terrifying,” they said in a statement, issued by the ACLU. “We observe and record public ICE activity in order to shine a light on their abusive behavior and to create a record of what our government is up to. Because of that, they are terrorizing us and anyone else who dares to exercise their First Amendment right to hold our government accountable. We hope that sharing our story will bring attention to their reckless and unconstitutional attacks on our communities.”