Spokane Protests – RANGE Media

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On June 11, 2025, protesters attempted to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from taking two detained young men, Cesar Alvarez Perez and Joswar Rodriguez Torres, to be processed for deportation in a Tacoma ICE facility. The two men were in the US legally and a district court later ruled that Torres had been wrongfully detained. (Perez had already been deported.)

We reported from the ground for nearly twelve hours as federal agents shoved protesters and the media and threatened federal charges against Spokanites choosing civil disobedience. Hours later, local law enforcement descended on the streets around protesters, using less lethal munitions and chemical agents to disperse the crowd.

More than 30 people were arrested that night on charges like Failure to Disperse, with two of them additionally charged with “unlawful imprisonment.” And one month later, the federal government arrested nine people now known as the Spokane 9 on suspicion of “conspiracy to impede or injure officers.” Two of the nine were also charged with “assault on a federal officer.” All nine initially pled not guilty, but six of the nine took plea deals in December. The remaining three defendants, Justice Forral, Bajun Mavalwalla II and Jac Archer, went to trial on May 18, 2026.

At the two-week trial, prosecutors painted a careful picture of federal agents under siege, a local police force who were slow to respond and a sophisticated conspiracy of protesters working to trap ICE agents in the building and force them to release detained asylum-seekers. Meanwhile, the defense pointed to the disproportionate violence brought by law enforcement against the protesters, the clear bias from law enforcement — both recorded on bodycam footage and unearthed by RANGE on one officer's Twitter account — and the fact that one of the three defendants didn't even know the other two prior to the protest.

A predominantly white jury made up mostly of people who don’t live in Spokane ultimately found all three defendants guilty, shocking the community and many in the legal field. All three are expected to appeal the conviction.

The prosecutions represent a significant escalation in the Department of Justice’s crackdown on protesters. Outside of the arrest of Los Angeles union leader David Huerta, there were no other recent examples of protesters being charged solely with the federal crime of “conspiracy to impede or assault law enforcement officers.” (The charges against the Broadview 6 were brought after this case and was dismissed.)

RANGE is committed to continue covering the aftermath of these protests, the cases and the federal government’s increasing pressure on our community members. Scroll down for our complete coverage.