WA city condemns Antifa as 'terrorists,' stands with ICE

The City of Battle Ground, Washington, issued a series of proclamations on Monday, officially recognizing the federal government's designation of Antifa as a terrorist organization and expressing support for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The city council advanced both proclamations on a 5-2 vote.

Battle Ground is a conservative-run town located outside of Portland, Oregon. Mayor Eric Overholser said the city was "standing for the rule of law and civil obedience." He signed the documents during a public meeting that drew protests inside and outside of City Hall chambers.

Self-declared and well-documented members of Antifa mobilized to disrupt the meeting, resulting in one arrest. Battle Ground Police officers took Jessica Ann Hendrix into custody on disorderly conduct charges, the city confirmed to The Post Millennial. Mayor Overholser ordered Hendrix's removal after she aggressively disrupted his signing of the Antifa declaration.

"F*ck you!" Hendrix shouted at the mayor, causing a chaotic scene as she stood masked with a black anarchist flag. Police officers rushed in to remove her from the chambers. Her partner, trans-identifying Antifa militant David "Fia" Alvey, also known as "Riot Dad," attempted to intervene. However, Hendrix was handcuffed and escorted into a police vehicle after she repeatedly defied lawful police demands to stop her aggression.

Audience members erupted into applause when police removed her from the property, according to video taken by TPM.

Following the disruption, a Battle Ground resident stepped to the podium to formally accept the Antifa proclamation on behalf of the community. "The principles expressed in the proclamation have historically been assumed: the political violence is wrong and intimidation has no place in a free society," he said, adding, "a rule of law must be upheld equally for all."

"When evil is committed publicly, it must be condemned. Silence in the face of wickedness only emboldens those who seek to achieve their goals through fear," he continued. "Battle Ground is not one of those places." The resident concluded by thanking the mayor for demonstrating "moral courage" and urged him to "fear God more than man."

Later in the meeting, a woman named Paula, who identified herself as a legal immigrant to the United States, accepted the ICE proclamation alongside a man who appeared to be her partner. The proclamation affirmed the city's support for ICE as essential to national security and the enforcement of laws passed by a democratic society.

"I am grateful to live in a community that values and enforces, especially through the work of ICE," she said, explaining that she sympathizes with migrants who come to the US in search of a better life, but asserted that they must do so legally. 

The ICE proclamation reflects strong opposition to the state's sanctuary policies. The measures come after the city of Battle Ground declined to issue LGBTQ-related proclamations, including one for Pride Month, which angered a small group of leftist community residents.