DILLEY, Texas – Several protesters were detained and came into contact with tear gas Wednesday near a Dilley detention facility where a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father are being held.
Protesters chanted multiple different phrases in front of U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers.
Some of the protesters’ phrases included “I believe that we will win,” “The people united will never be divided,” “Bring them home” and “Free the children.”
As the protest continued just before 2:30 p.m., KSAT photojournalist Sal Salazar’s camera was rolling as additional Texas DPS troopers arrived. Some of them were wearing riot gear, which included helmet gear, shields and batons.
The confrontation can be seen in the below video player.
Moments later, at least two protesters were detained by troopers.
Several other protesters were also sprayed with tear gas by the troopers, which prompted treatment on the scene.
KSAT reporter Erica Hernandez described what she saw Wednesday afternoon with anchors Myra Arthur and Ernie Zuniga. Watch Hernandez’s report in the below video player.
On Wednesday, Rep. Joaquin Castro met with 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander.
Ramos and Alexander were detained last week in Minnesota in an incident that further inflamed divisions on immigration under the Trump administration.
KSAT has reached out to Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Senator John Cornyn and U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales for comment. This story will be updated with their responses.
More coverage of this story on KSAT: