OAKLAND, Calif. (RNS) — For the second time in six weeks, a pastor was struck in the head with a pepper round fired by a U.S. immigration agent as faith leaders protested the Trump administration’s deportation efforts.
The pastor, the Rev. Jorge Bautista, was one of dozens of demonstrators who had gathered before sunrise Thursday (Oct. 23) at the entrance of the narrow bridge to Coast Guard Island, a military base near Oakland, where more than 100 U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents were supposed to arrive and stage that day. Organized by the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, the demonstrators crowded the intersection, peacefully blocking entry to the base, while singing anthems like “We Shall Not Be Moved” in English and Spanish.
Federal law enforcement vehicles arrived at the bridge after 7 a.m., and immigration agents began pushing their cars through and fired what were reported to be stun grenades into the crowd. Soon after, Bautista was struck in the face with a pepper round. Matthew Leber, hired as security by the interfaith group, also had his foot run over by a vehicle.
The clash comes as the Trump administration seemed to initiate its long-threatened immigration crackdown in the Bay Area, although President Trump announced that he no longer plans to “surge” federal law enforcement action in San Francisco, across the bay from Oakland. The events in Oakland echo recent confrontations in Chicago and elsewhere, as religious leaders willingly risk injury and arrest to protect migrants in their communities.
On Sept. 19, the Rev. David Black, a minister at First Presbyterian Church in Chicago, was struck by a pepper round shot from the roof of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency building in Broadview, Illinois. Black has joined others in suing Trump and other U.S. officials, alleging unlawful force against participants exercising their free speech rights.
On Oct. 9, a U.S. district court judge temporarily blocked federal agents in northern Illinois from using certain crowd-control measures against protesters. The judge has extended the order as clergy and other protesters have alleged that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have already violated the ban.
The vigil in Oakland showed how faith organizations have developed networks to respond quickly to movements of immigration agents. After news broke on Wednesday afternoon that the crackdown had begun, the vigil came together quickly, said the Rev. Penny Nixon, a longtime United Church of Christ minister like Bautista. “In a real sense, we have been activating and training since the 2024 election.”
When federal agents began driving through the crowd, Bautista moved closer. “I found myself in front of one of the vehicles, not intending to block it, but to help calm the situation,” he said, insisting the intent of the vigil was “never to obstruct the road.”
At that moment, Bautista saw a masked agent approaching quickly, raising his weapon. “We come in peace!” he recalled saying.