Federal immigration officers detained a man outside the Bellingham Public Library on Monday, Feb. 9, according to multiple witnesses and videos of the incident. The arrest is one of several highly visible detainments in and around Whatcom County in the last two weeks. Just before 10 a.m. Monday morning, one witness who spoke with Cascadia Daily News said they were walking toward the back entrance of the library near the children’s section when they heard yelling. “There was a Latino man being chased by a federal agent,” Robin said. CDN agreed to use only their first name for safety reasons. “They actually circled around me in the chase and then proceeded toward the county building side of the library.” Video taken shows federal officers with police/ICE on their vests, as well as Department of Homeland Security patches, tackling the man to the ground. A second witness, Brad, whose last name has also been withheld, said he saw two unmarked vehicles pull up at the intersection of Central Avenue and Grand Avenue. Agents led the detained man into one of the vehicles. Of the three federal agents involved in the detainment, two wore face masks. In the video, one of the agents is heard saying they have a warrant for the man’s arrest. Cascadia Daily News reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to confirm the reason behind the detainment as well as the man’s identity. This is the second arrest in front of the downtown Bellingham Public Library in as many weeks. Immigration agents arrested another man on Jan. 29. ICE has not confirmed the person’s identity nor the reason behind the detainment. Immigration agents also detained another man around 10:30 a.m. Jan. 30, near the intersection of Bakerview Road and Meridian Street. Federal immigration agents detained one man on Jan. 30 near the intersection of Bakerview Road and Meridian Street in Bellingham. (Photo courtesy of Alexa Johnson) Alexa Johnson witnessed the arrest while she was driving from work. Johnson said the westbound lanes were blocked by unmarked vehicles with red and blue lights on them. “As I got closer, I saw people in vests handcuffing a man,” she said in a text message. The agents arresting the man had vests with ICE and ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) on them. A woman, whom Johnson described as looking emotional, was speaking with a female immigration agent who had ERO on her vest. In a video captured by Johnson, one federal agent is pointing a taser at the man being arrested. Three other agents are also seen surrounding the man. ICE has not confirmed the reason behind the Meridian Street detainment. ICE arrested more than 36,000 people in January, according to researcher Austin Kocher. That’s slightly down from December 2025, when more than 37,000 people were detained, most of whom do not have U.S. criminal history. This story was reported using a community-led immigration detainment form. If you witness an immigration-related detainment, please fill out this form. A Cascadia Daily News reporter may reach out to you. Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.