United States | News & Politics

Federal agents on Tuesday morning arrested and searched the homes of multiple people who took part in a June 11 mass protest against immigration enforcement in Spokane.

Among those arrested is former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart, who was indicted by a federal grand jury and is expected to be charged with conspiracy to interfere with law enforcement, according to local attorney Jeffry Finer.

Stuckart sparked the protest that swelled to hundreds of people that day by posting a call to action on Facebook after Immigration Customs and Enforcement agents detained two young men who had appeared at ICE offices for a check-in.

The two were legal immigrants residing in the United States through a humanitarian parole program and were going through the asylum process.

Also arrested Tuesday morning was Bajun Mavalwalla as he and his girlfriend were moving out of their shared home into another house Tuesday when the FBI knocked on their door at 6 a.m., said Mavalwalla’s father, Bajun Mavalwalla Sr.

“I demanded a warrant, they refused and wouldn’t show it until everyone left the home. My son was protesting on June 11, they said he assaulted officers,” Mavalwalla Sr. said. “My son worked in cybersecurity and was deployed to Afghanistan. He has no problems with the law.”

Mavalwalla Sr. said to his knowledge, officers never read his son his rights at the time of his arrest.

The arrests were condemned by Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown.

“This politically motivated action is a perversion of our justice system,” she said in a statement Tuesday morning. “The Trump Administration’s weaponization of ICE and the DOJ is trampling on the U.S. Constitution and creating widespread fear across our community.”

Also arrested was Justice Forral, an organizer for Spokane County Against Racism. Forral faces local felony charges of unlawful imprisonment and third-degree assault on an officer stemming from the protest.