Anyone paying attention knows the truth. Some ICE agents are not out there hunting for undocumented immigrants. They are acting like enforcers for people who believe anyone who does not “look American enough” must be a target. And the latest incident out of Oregon has people furious for exactly that reason. A teenager, just wrapping up lunch break from McMinnville High School, ended up detained by ICE after agents boxed him in his car. Seventeen-year-old Christian Jimenez repeatedly told them that he was a U.S. citizen. Instead of stopping, one agent smashed the window and yelled the line now burned into everyone’s memory: “I don’t care if you’re a U.S. citizen.” Moments later, they pulled him from the car and took him away.
Christian was taken to an ICE facility in South Portland, where he sat for hours before finally being released at around 7 p.m. His brother says ICE is now trying to charge him with “interference or obstruction of investigation,” which many see as a wild twist considering he was the one wrongfully detained.
Once the video went viral on the internet, outrage spread quickly. People were not just angry. They were scared. This was not a border checkpoint. This was not a major criminal operation. This was a teenager sitting in a car. Many people said that if this could happen to him, it could happen to anyone.
Crowds gathered on the street in Oregon to protest almost immediately. Signs went up, chants filled the air, and social media exploded with responses. “Terrorism. This is terrorism straight up. They are terrorizing our communities,” one person wrote. Another comment called the detention illegal and said that people had to stand up to ICE agents.
Others expressed genuine fear for the teenager’s well-being. Some mentioned that conditions inside detention centers have been criticized repeatedly. One user wrote, “We already know from the Stanford prison experiment and Milgram what happens when authority goes unchecked. The behavior coming out of these places is going to stain this country for years.”
Not everyone believed a simple protest would be enough. Some argued that holding signs and shouting would not change the situation and urged people to escalate pressure in more direct ways. Perhaps the most heartbreaking reaction came from another teenager who wrote, “As a 17 year old with Mexican and immigrant friends, this is terrifying. I will protect my friends with my life if I have to. ICE needs to be abolished. They are abusing their power.”
