ICE officials feel the public’s trust has been lost.
USA TODAY spent several days following ICE agents in Kansas City to learn more about their targeting and arrests of immigrants.
On Wednesday, Dec. 24, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents opened fire on a vehicle during a raid in Maryland, injuring two people, federal officials said.
The Department of Homeland Security said officers conducting a “targeted immigration enforcement operation” in Glen Burnie, Maryland, just south of Baltimore, approached a van carrying two undocumented men. DHS said officers ordered the driver, identified as Tiago Alexandre Souza Martins, to turn off the engine, but the driver “refused and attempted to flee” and rammed his van into another ICE vehicle.
“He then drove the van directly towards the ICE officer and attempted to run him over,” officials said on social media.
DHS said ICE agents fired their weapons, hitting Sousa-Martins, who crashed his vehicle. The passenger, identified as Solomon Antonio Serrano Esquivel from El Salvador, was injured in the crash.
Federal officials shared photos of a damaged white van that appeared to have crashed into a tree in a wooded area. Both men were hospitalized and expected to recover from their injuries, the Department of Homeland Security said, adding that no officers were seriously injured.
Anne Arundel County Police Department spokesman Justin Mulcahy told reporters that local police arrived on the scene around 10:51 a.m. and are currently investigating the shooting. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the alleged assault on the officer, Mulcahy added, and ICE is conducting its own internal investigation.
“This is clearly a multi-layered case involving our federal partners,” said Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad.
Maryland governor ‘acknowledges’ shooting incident
Sousa Martins, a native of Portugal, had been in the United States for nearly 17 years after her visa expired, the New York Times and CNN reported, citing federal officials. DHS, ICE and the Anne Arundel County Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from USA TODAY.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said on social media that he was “aware” of the incident.
“As information regarding the incident continues to emerge, we remain in contact with local authorities and stand by to provide assistance to the community,” Moore said.
White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller described the vehicle attack on ICE officers as “domestic terrorism.”
The incident comes as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement across the United States as part of a record number of deportations. Federal immigration raids and deportations have sparked backlash and protests in dozens of states.
In September, an ICE officer shot and killed a man he tried to run over with his car, but security and body camera footage raised questions about the circumstances.
Contributed by: Reuters
