ICE detention center attack could have ties to extremist group

WASHINGTON (SBG) — A violent attack at an ICE detention center this past weekend has put a group known for violent protests back in the headlines.

Outside the detention center in Tacoma, Washington you can see shattered windows, broken glass and bullet markers on the ground. That’s just some of the damage left behind after police in Tacoma say Willem Van Spronsen threw flares at the ICE detention center and tried to light a propane tank outside on fire.

Police arrived on scene, engaged and Spronsen was killed by officers. They said upon arrival they told Spronsen to "drop the weapon" and said Spronsen failed to comply. The Tacoma Police Departmentsaid in a media release he was armed with flares and a rifle, which police say he had pointed at them. Spronsen’s friends say he was passionate about protesting the immigration detention center, given the rising national attention on immigration and the crisis at the border.

Police also confirm he left behind a manifesto that they are currently reviewing and say they learned he claimed to be associated with Antifa, an extreme leftist group known to be violent. Police said the manifesto appears to have been widely released before the incident but they were not made aware.

We saw this group last month in a rally in Portland, Oregon where masked members attacked a journalist.

The Facebook group Seattle Antifascist Action said on their Facebook page that their "good friend and comrade" is "a martyr who gave his life to the struggle against fascism."

In the days since Spronsen’s death, his friends held a vigil, calling attention to his cause against immigration detention centers.

“He needed attention here,” said Deanne English, says he knew Van Spronsen and is attending his vigil over the weekend.

Domestic terrorism analysts have suggested that attacks like the one at the facility are typical of Antifa and signs of a troubling trend.

"Antifa is a relatively new movement that stemmed out of the violent anarchist movement and they're primarily focused on acts of civil disturbance and property destruction,” said Daryl Johnson, owner of private consulting firm for law enforcement DT Analytics.

Khury Petersen-Smith, a researcher at the Institute for Policy Studies whose areas of expertise include borders and migration, said actions like what we saw in Tacoma are still far from becoming the norm.

"Antifa is not a nationwide organization. Customs and Border Protection or ICE, these are nationwide, centralized, government institutions that have tremendous power,” said Petersen-Smith.

We reached out to ICE about what happened over the weekend.

“U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not be deterred by the destructive actions of these criminals or others who seek to spread misleading propaganda,” a spokesperson said in a written statement. “We will continue to do our sworn duty to identify, arrest and remove aliens who present a danger to national security or are a risk to public safety.”

Tacoma Police also tell Sinclair Broadcast Group there was a peaceful protest outside of that same detention center a day later.