Confrontation With Arizona Border Patrol Turns Violent

Arizona police used pepper spray and rubber bullets against demonstrators who attempted to stop Border Patrol from taking two immigrants into custody.

By Von Diaz Oct 09, 2013

A routine traffic stop in Tucson, Ariz., became an immigration protest on Tuesday night, and then turned violent. Local law enforcement pulled over a driver for a missing license plate light, and called Border Patrol after they suspected the diver and his passenger were undocumented immigrants.  A crowd gathered shortly after the driver and passenger were detained, and more than 100 people made a circle around the Border Patrol vehicle in order to prevent it from leaving.

According to eyewitnesses, the demonstrators were then sprayed in the face with pepper spray and shot at with rubber bullets when they wouldn’t move away from the vehicle. Border Patrol took the two immigrants into custody, and also allegedly arrested at least one demonstrator.  Immigration advocates held a press conference today in Tucson and are calling for Police Chief Roberto Villaseñor to step down. Police say they were following regulations set by Arizona S.B. 2010.