Although ICE agents often rely on the most direct and forceful methods during their operations, there are moments when they try to move under the radar. A recent incident in Hillsboro, Oregon threw that into sharp focus. A local woman noticed a suspicious vehicle circling her neighborhood, and from the moment she saw it, she had a hunch that something wasn’t right. The behavior of the car, the way it slowed near pedestrians, and the tension she sensed from the driver made her think the vehicle belonged to ICE agents.
Normally, spotting a strange car wouldn’t be cause for alarm. But what made this situation unsettling was the fact that the vehicle was disguised as an Uber. When the Hillsboro woman realized this, she took out her phone immediately and began recording. She felt the public needed to see what was happening in broad daylight on their own streets.
The driver, who appeared to be an ICE agent, noticed the camera pointed his way and quickly tried to pull the car out of the area. As he turned the vehicle around, the dashboard came into view. There, just barely visible through the glare on the windshield, was an Uber logo placed near the front console. It wasn’t crystal clear due to the reflection, but it was noticeable enough for anyone watching carefully.
As the car moved, the camera also caught a quick glimpse of the driver’s face before he turned away. Like many ICE agents seen in similar recordings, he wore a mask to obscure his identity while he searched for whoever he was targeting. That only fueled more concern among those watching the video later.
Despite being on foot, the woman didn’t stop filming. Instead, she chased after the vehicle down the Hillsboro streets, blowing a loud whistle to warn nearby residents that ICE agents might be in the area. Her determination drew a lot of attention online once the footage was uploaded. Viewers were understandably outraged. It was already alarming enough that ICE operated with what many believed to be unchecked authority. Now the thought of agents posing as rideshare drivers in order to detain people pushed the anger even further.
Some people urged others to report the situation directly to Uber, insisting the company needed to take responsibility if its branding was being used to lure unsuspecting passengers. Others were more skeptical, doubting that a large corporation would risk standing against ICE, especially under a federal administration that strongly supported DHS operations. A few commenters argued that people should go straight to boycotting instead of hoping for corporate accountability.
One person wrote, “Can we get a collated list of all the companies we need to boycott?” Another added, “If you haven’t been boycotting Uber or UberEats, please start now. We’ve got to keep economic pressure on companies so there are real consequences.”
Uber wasn’t the only name circulating in these discussions. Home Depot had also recently come under fire after videos surfaced of ICE agents operating freely inside their stores, leading many to believe the company was letting them detain whomever they pleased.
