On Wednesday, December 24th, a case of a failed arrest of undocumented immigrants occurred in Glen Burnie, Maryland. The incident escalated when the driver of a white van, Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, a Portuguese national residing unlawfully in the United States, refused to comply with ICE agents and attempted to flee the scene by ramming into ICE vehicles.
Eventually, Sousa-Martins aggressively drove his van towards the ICE agents in an attempt to run them over. Concerned for their safety and the safety of the public, the ICE agents resorted to defensive measures by firing their guns, injuring both Sousa-Martins and his passenger, Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador.
Following the shooting, ICE agents promptly provided medical assistance to the injured individuals before they were hospitalized at the Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for treatment. Both Sousa-Martins and Serrano-Esquivel are said to be in stable condition and are expected to recover soon, while the involved agents escaped physical harm.
The Anne Arundel County Police Department, currently investigating the shooting incident, reported that the actions taken by the agents were in response to the imminent threat posed by the van trying to strike and potentially harm them. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, reiterated that the ICE agents were forced to resort to firing their weapons in self-defense as the driver aimed his vehicle directly at them.
In a statement released by ICE, the agency emphasized the daily risks law enforcement officers face in safeguarding American communities through actions to apprehend and deport undocumented foreign individuals. The statement also warns against encouraging undocumented residents and violent agitators to resist ICE, as doing so will only lead to further violent incidents. The agency called for an end to extreme rhetoric targeting ICE’s efforts in combating illegal immigration.