ICE shooting of unarmed man in Glen Burnie, Maryland, sparks people’s movement condemnation

On Christmas Eve day in Glen Burnie, Maryland, ICE officers shot an unarmed man who was driving a van, causing him to smash into a tree. 

The story the Anne Arundel Police Department tells is that Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, a migrant from Portugal, tried to run down the officers with the van. Salomon Antonio Serrano-Esquival, a migrant from El Salvador, was a passenger in the van and suffered injuries as a result of the crash.

ICE’s official statement was its usual fascist rhetoric, run-on sentences and all: 

“This incident, which is still under investigation, comes as the extremist anti-ICE rhetoric and outright lies of politicians, the news media, activists, and violent agitators continue to fuel a more than 1,150% increase in assaults against ICE officers. Our brave officers are risking their lives every day to keep American communities safe by arresting and removing illegal aliens from our streets. Continued efforts to encourage illegal aliens and violent agitators to actively resist ICE will only lead to more violent incidents, the extremist rhetoric must stop.”

However, witness accounts reported by local media contradict ICE’s characterization of a high-threat situation. According to the Baltimore Banner and other outlets, ICE agents followed Sousa-Martins from a nearby Walmart before confronting him in a parking lot where witnesses said he was playing a game on his phone. One neighbor who saw the shooting told reporters that Sousa-Martins was shot three times. The confrontation occurred in a residential neighborhood on Christmas Eve morning, with witnesses expressing shock at the level of force used in a populated area.

Baltimore’s People’s Power Assembly responded with a rally and press conference the following Monday, Dec. 29. The media advisory issued to local press strongly condemned ICE’s brutal shooting and raised demands:

“It is time for the Maryland Governor’s office and the Maryland General Assembly to act. Both institutions have the power to ban cooperation agreements between Maryland counties and ICE, like the joint ICE-Anne Arundel County police ‘Criminal Alien Program.’ Further, the State of Maryland should declare all 287(G) agreements between ICE and Maryland counties to be defunct as they violate the basic constitutional and human rights of Maryland citizens.”

Adrian, a representative of Malaya Movement Baltimore, an organization also participating in the Tanggol Migrante (Defend Migrants) Movement, was invited to speak about how Trump’s immigration policy affects the Filipino community. “ICE is a clear and present danger in our communities,” said the representative. “They violate our rights, terrorize people based on their skin color, and once they detain us, subject us to inhumane living conditions.”

“In line with Trump’s fascist immigration policy,” he continued, “the Customs and Border Protection have also struck fear into the hearts of Filipino cruise workers docking at the Maryland Cruise Terminal. Since September, CBP agents have unjustly targeted Filipinos and detained them over crimes they did not commit.” 

Members of the International League of People’s Struggles (ILPS) Baltimore-DMV regional chapter, the Greater Baltimore Democratic Socialists of America, the Free State Coalition, and the Baltimore Party for Socialism and Liberation were also in attendance to support. 

The crowd drew overwhelming support from passing cars and passersby. 

All in attendance committed to building a fighting mass movement that can bring down not only ICE, but the whole system that makes ICE both possible and profitable.