Frederick community raises concerns about heightened ICE enforcement after protesters clash with officers

A city leader and other community members in Frederick, Maryland say there is a new level of fear after neighbors witnessed last week's clash between protesters and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

ICE agents were seen in the city's Taskers Chance neighborhood Thursday and Friday. However, things escalated Friday night.

Frederick City Council President Cesar Diaz tells CBS News Baltimore he's worried about what could be coming next for his community.

Recalling that night

The Taskers Chance neighborhood was quiet and peaceful Monday -- a stark difference to what neighbors saw Friday night.

Tatianna Santos, who lives in a nearby neighborhood, said everyone that she's kept tabs on since that night tell her they're shaken up.

"They're not sure if they can be out. They're consistently just watching for these unmarked vehicles that are just loitering in their neighborhoods," said Santos. 

Santos was in the neighborhood both Thursday and Friday to observe and support people, if needed. She said by Friday night, protesters were chanting on the sidewalk and blocking the street.

Some protesters were also trying to block a home that was believed to have been targeted by ICE. That's when things took a violent turn, according to Santos and local activist Soolah Kemp. 

Santos watched it all unfold from across the street.

"I saw the aftermath of that, people walking away from the scene visibly injured," she said. "People with scrapes on their foreheads, somebody was concerned about their hand being broken, somebody else had scratches on their back."

Kemp said she didn't understand the use of force.

"It was something I hope I never see again in my lifetime," she said. "They didn't hold back with how hard they were hitting people that were unarmed."

No one was arrested by ICE, and it's not clear if the officers had a warrant.

"For operation security and the safety of our personnel, we will not disclose or discuss information related to potential investigations," an ICE spokesperson told CBS News Baltimore in a statement. "Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S. We will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you."

Growing concern

Diaz was also there Thursday and Friday and said he's heard from a lot of concerned residents since the clash. 

He described the events as an attack on Frederick and said he's worried it's only a sign of things to come.

"That fear took a huge jump up. Is this the new normal, is this an escalation? Are we close to turning into another Minneapolis, or any of the other big cities that we've seen attacks like this happen?" Diaz said.

Earlier this year, Frederick City Council passed the City Values Act, which bars immigration enforcement at city facilities.

Several groups, including immigrant rights organizations We Are CASA and the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, also intend to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration to challenge its latest immigration enforcement policies. Details of that lawsuit are expected to be announced later this week.