There is some scary stuff going on these days. A 53-year-old Chicago man, Felix Torres, was wounded by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents inside his home. The shooting happened at 6:20 a.m. Monday morning.
ICE says that they were attempting to make an arrest when someone pointed a weapon at them. The Chicago police say that the agents were executing some kind of federal initiative.
Torres’ family said he doesn’t own a gun and is in the country legally. He was taken to the hospital and is in serious condition. The family was not told why the agents were at his home.
His daughter, Carmen Torres, said:
“My dad doesn’t have any guns, my dad just went to see what’s going on. He just opened the door and they just shot him.”
Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa said that this is why Chicago Police should refuse to collaborate with ICE. She said:
“This guns blazing ICE raid deepens my resolve to organize my community so we can keep each other safe from the threat posed by ICE. The City and State should not wait until another Chicagoan is shot by ICE to act on strengthening the Welcoming City Ordinance and passing the TRUST Act (HB 3099).”
In addition, ICE agents in Lawrence are arresting green card applicants. Five people were arrested last week when they showed up for scheduled appointments at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Brian Doyle, an attorney for one of the people arrested, said this about the situation. His client is a Brazilian national who was applying for a green card, but she is marrying a US Citizen. Doyle said:
“Now, they’re in a sort of catch-22 where, ‘All right, I’m being called in for this interview. I want to have this first step approved.’ If they don’t show up, it’s what’s called abandoned … USCIS just sort of assumes that they don’t want to go forward with it. But now, if they do show up, trying to take that first step and they’re detained, it can lead to them being removed.”
This is getting scary!
Here are the Young Turks covering the issue:
Featured image via YouTube screenshot.
