PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Some Portland City Councilors are seeking testimony from those who have been impacted by federal agents’ use of tear gas, flash bangs, and other chemical munitions.Councilors Tiffany Koyama Lane and Mitch Green both posted to their social media following Saturday afternoon’s labor union protest, encouraging those who were tear gassed during that protest to contact their offices.“I want folks who are down there to know that there are city councilors, their elected officials are taking this very seriously, and so if that have an experience, and in particular, if they had children that were impacted, I want them to understand that we want to get that information so we can start to document and compile evidence,” Green said.He continued, “my expectation is that we’re gonna use every single tool that we have at the local and state level, and all the way on up the chain, to not only organize to get ICE out of our city, but to also bring charges.”Saturday’s protest was organized by more than a dozen labor unions in Oregon, and was promoted as a family-friendly, peaceful event. Thousands of individuals participated, including IBEW Local 48 member Trillium Ward.She told KATU, “initially in the rally, we sang songs and talked about our union values and standing up for immigrant rights and our workers’ rights.”She and other union members and protestors then marched from Elizabeth Caruthers Park over to the ICE facility at around 4:51 p.m.“When we were walking, we were peaceful and calm and chanting as we do at that labor rally and showing our solidarity,” Ward said.That’s when protestors towards the front of the march were met with tear gas, flash bangs, and other chemical weapons.Councilor Green was also in attendance.“I marched with them, and as I got close, within a few blocks of the facility, I heard bangs, like tear gas or flash bangs going off,” Green said. “And, I thought to myself, 'surely that’s not tear gas, there are children in this march,' and sure enough, I saw a big cloud of it billow and wash over us, and we all got engulfed in a very, very thick cloud of tear gas.”Green and union members described the use of chemical force as unnecessary.“I left that experience outraged and furious that not only is ICE attacking Portlanders unprovoked, but it’s happening in my own district, and it’s happening to children.”“It was definitely very upsetting to put our kids in risk,” Ward said. “Again, this was a family-friendly advertised labor rally, so this was something that was completely unexpected.”Local residents were also impacted, including 93-year-old Connie Stephens, who was overwhelmed with tear gas on her walk home from OHSU’s March Wellness & Fitness Center.“As I got about two blocks from the ICE facility all of a sudden, I was overcome and I was choking and I was crying,” Stephens said. “A man and a woman came and said, ‘can we help you?’ I said yes, and so they opened a bottle of water and bathed my face with water and gave me a kerchief to put around my face.”She said the situation left her with a sore throat and irritated eyes.“I was really mad,” Stephens said. “I was really unhappy.”According to Stephens, she was told federal agents deployed chemical munitions after some of the demonstrators stepped over the boundary line separating the ICE facility from the sidewalk.“I don’t think they need to use toxic chemicals,” she said. “They have enough people that could come out and take the troublemakers away and charge them. I don’t think they need to be using the crowd control, or doing it.”This weekend’s deployment of chemical munitions comes after Portland City Council passed an ordinance that was signed into law Jan. 2nd that prohibits landlords from allowing tenants to emit chemical weapons from their premises.It also comes as advocates have been pushing city leaders to revoke the permit for the ICE facility. Councilor Green said he and other councilors have urged the mayor move forward on that call for action.“I think that we need to move as fast as we can in making sure that we are investigating the violations at the McAdam facility,” Green said.He went on to say, “there is layers to this and sequences of actions that we are taking and that we need to take at the City of Portland right now, but we’re really gonna need the partnership of the Multnomah County DA to bring charges against the ICE officers who assaulted my constituents over the weekend.”In response to the deployment of chemical munitions, the Department of Homeland Security told KATU in a statement, “DHS is authorized to do what is appropriate and necessary in each situation to diffuse violence against our officers in the most appropriate manner possible. The fact that this particular location is experiencing this behavior more frequently than most others, is not remotely ICE’s fault. That lies squarely with the rioters and with the state and local authorities who fail to maintain law and order on their streets. We, as a federal law enforcement agency, will continue to safeguard the American people, our homeland, with honor, integrity and values in line with the U.S. Constitution and basic common sense.”The statement continued, “Further, the First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly – not rioting. DHS is taking reasonable and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers. ICE officers are facing a more than 1300% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, and gang members.”In response, Green said, “I saw a 9-year-old girl crying and screaming in pain because she was tear gassed by DHS or federal agents and a street medic helping wash her eyes out. If DHS wants to take the position that they’re justified in what they’re doing, then they’re on the wrong side of history.”