Andrea Salinas

An investigation has been launched after federal immigration agents deployed tear gas in Salem, Oregon, on Saturday after a crowd of roughly 30 people surrounded ICE vehicles outside a strip mall. Salem police responded to the scene and received multiple 911 calls from people reporting apparent tear gas exposure. One witness described agents breaking a car window and spraying its occupant directly. A report on the incident is being referred to the Oregon Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for independent review.

Rep. Andrea Salinas condemned the operation, saying ICE used pepper spray, pepper balls, and smoke canisters near elderly people and children, then drove recklessly on Highway 99E, prompting a partial road closure. The incident comes amid a Department of Homeland Security-confirmed nationwide ICE surge targeting sanctuary cities, which Oregon's state law restricts local police from assisting. Advocacy group Oregon for All reports more than 40 people detained by ICE statewide this week, amid growing scrutiny of enforcement tactics in sanctuary jurisdictions.

Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-OR) introduced the ICE Shootings Transparency Act on Friday alongside Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL), legislation that would require the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Attorney General to share evidence with local law enforcement after officer-involved shootings and other use-of-force incidents involving ICE or CBP agents.

Salinas said the federal government has repeatedly withheld evidence from local investigators since the start of the current Trump administration. The bill follows the January 2026 death of Renee Good, shot by ICE in Minneapolis, after which Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said it was removed from a joint investigation with the FBI. Months later, ICE agents fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas under similar circumstances, with federal agencies again declining to cooperate with state and local authorities.

Ramirez used the announcement to renew calls to abolish ICE and dismantle DHS. CBP referred comment to DHS, which did not respond; DHS, ICE, and the Justice Department declined to comment. The bill has several Democratic cosponsors in the House.

Local and federal pushback against rapid data center growth intensified this week. In South Carolina, Spartanburg County Council unanimously delayed a final vote on a 12-month moratorium on new data centers, pushing it to Sept. 21 to allow another public hearing. The pause wouldn't affect the $2.8 billion NorthMark project already under construction, but would halt approval of new or pending facilities while officials study appropriate locations and conditions. Spartanburg would join Greenwood County, South Carolina in enacting such a pause amid resident concerns over power and water use, noise, and air pollution, plus a lawsuit over NorthMark's permitting and recent primary losses by council members who backed data center tax incentives.

Separately, Oregon Rep. Andrea Salinas introduced the Data Center Community Reinvestment Act, which would tax electricity used by large data centers at one cent per kilowatt-hour, raising an estimated $1.76 billion annually for affordable housing, public lands conservation, hazardous waste cleanup, infrastructure, and clean energy programs. The moves reflect broader tension between the AI-driven data center boom and community concerns over resource strain and local costs.