Oregon man accused of throwing water bottle at feds during ICE protest; wife claims authorities ‘disappeared’ him for hours

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An Oregon man is facing federal charges after being accused of assaulting an officer during Saturday’s protest, but his wife says he was protesting peacefully when she says federal officers “dragged” and “disappeared” him for hours.

Federal court documents accuse Gervais resident Jairin Anzaldua-Ervin of throwing a water bottle at agents; however, his wife says he was protesting peacefully before he was wrongfully arrested.

Video shows tensions flaring outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in South Portland as federal officers moved to clear demonstrators from the driveway, clashing with the protesters amid rising pressure since the Trump administration declared intentions to send National Guard troops to the city of Portland to protect the federal facility in late September. The weekend saw a whiplash of federal court developments, ultimately culminating in a federal judge issuing a temporary restraining order against all U.S. National Guard troops in Portland.

Federal prosecutors say Anzaldua-Ervin, 29, ignored commands to get back and threw a water bottle, resulting in officers hitting him with pepper spray before taking him into custody.

His wife, Bailey McDonald, says she was at home with their 5-year-old daughter tracking his phone as he attended his first protest. Then, around 1 a.m., his phone went dark, she claims, and nearly 20 hours passed before she learned what had happened, finding video online that showed his arrest.

“How aggressive it was, how many men were actually dog piling on top of him, placing their knees on his ribs. He wasn’t able to breathe. It almost felt like I could feel it too and I was almost hoping it wasn’t him,” she told KOIN 6 News.

Anzaldua-Ervin was later found at the Columbia County Jail, held under the U.S. Marshal. Court records show he has no prior criminal history.

A federal magistrate found probable cause to move forward on a charge of felony assault on a federal officer, which is punishable by up to eight years in prison.

“Throwing water bottles, or any object for that matter, at federal law enforcement officers is not protesting – it’s a crime – and perpetrators will be arrested and federally prosecuted,” Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, said in a statement on Anzaldua-Ervin’s arrest. “I thank the brave members of federal law enforcement who have protected federal employees and the ICE building for more than 110 consecutive nights.”

Meanwhile, McDonald says she didn’t see the water bottle being thrown based on the video she has seen, adding, “but you know, we’ll see what a judge thinks.”

For now, she says her goal is to get her husband released and reunited with their daughter. She says she believes her story is one of many, and is sharing a message with federal officers: “The level of aggression that you’re taking against these protesters is just not okay. From our perspective, our loved ones are disappearing and we are trying to do everything we can to bring these people home.”