ICE Out Rally in Eugene Presses Unions to Oppose ICE Actions

Hundreds of union members, health-care workers and students gathered at the Park Blocks in downtown Eugene for a labor-focused "ICE Out" rally organized by the Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network and a coalition of Eugene labor unions. An Instagram event listing urged people to meet at Park Blocks, East 8th Ave & Oak St at 2:00 p.m., adding "Eugene Mobilize link (you can also just show up)." Coverage variously described attendance as "over a hundred" to "hundreds," with no single official count publicized.

Organizers used a labor frame throughout the afternoon, repeating Indivisible Eugene’s call to action: "Attacks on immigrant workers affect the entire working class. When any group's rights are stripped away through intimidation or selective enforcement, the rights of all workers are at risk. Labor believes an injury to one is an injury to all." Will Garrahan, a founding member of the University of Oregon student union UAW, told Lookout Eugene-Springfield, "Injury to one is an injury to all," and warned that "Our immigrant neighbors and workers are this permanent underclass of labor that is used to erode the gains that we’ve gotten for people who are in this country - with proper documentation or not."

Union visibility was prominent on site. Protesters wore green United Academics beanies, purple SEIU scarves and black Teamsters hoodies. Clark Kimball of Teamsters Local 206 was photographed at the Park Blocks; photo coverage of the day credited Isaac Wasserman for multiple images. After speeches in the park the crowd marched to the Eugene Federal Building, where a separate Singing Resistance action later gathered participants including Lori Cunnington Elam and Mark Ross and featured a child, Bonnie, 4, dancing during songs.

Several attendees described personal motivations tied to workplace identity and recent national events. Courtney Costa, a registered nurse from Albany and member of the Oregon Nurses Association, attended what she called her first protest and said her health-care role and events involving people like Alex Pretti motivated her participation; the Register‑Guard described Alex Pretti as "a fellow ICU nurse who was shot and killed by a federal agent in Minneapolis in January." A participant identified only as Douglas told the Register‑Guard, "It doesn't matter if you're conservative or you're a liberal. Everybody has to work. So it's important for us to take a stand on things like this for all workers and to bring all workers together." Singer and protester Jill Switzer tied her presence to international events, saying, "I think that is just another example of violence, unnecessary violence… this is just a small grassroots way of saying, 'Hey, we can speak up and do something.'"

The Park Blocks rally formed part of a larger day of regional actions. KLCC reported a separate Springfield City Hall protest that drew "hundreds of people" and said some participants later joined a car caravan that ended at the Lane Events Center in Eugene. KLCC also relayed a claim from Rob Fisette of the Party for Socialism and Liberation that organizers knew of more than 60 local businesses that had closed the previous Friday in solidarity; that claim was reported by the outlet but not independently verified in coverage. No enforcement incidents were reported in the accounts of the Eugene events. Organizers said the point of the day was to press local unions to publicly oppose ICE actions and to push solidarity with immigrant workers across Eugene and Springfield.