A series of violent confrontations involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in recent days has inflamed tensions in major American cities, drawing sharp criticism from immigrant advocates and local officials.
The incidents unfolded as President Donald Trump’s administration pushes an aggressive deportation campaign, days after a shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas left one detainee dead and two others wounded.
In New York City on Thursday, video published by ProPublica showed an ICE officer shoving Ecuadorian asylum seeker Monica Moreta-Galarza to the ground inside a courthouse as she pleaded for her husband’s release. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) later confirmed the officer had been relieved of duty pending investigation, with spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin calling the behavior “unacceptable and beneath the men and women of ICE.”
In the Boston area, immigrant rights advocate Milagros Barreto said she witnessed ICE agents drag a Guatemalan woman, identified only as Hilda, from a pickup truck during an arrest of a relative. The woman, a lawful permanent resident, suffered scratches and aggravated a back injury, requiring hospitalization. Reuters photos showed her pinned on the ground as her son cried nearby. ICE and DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, in the Chicago suburb of Broadview, heavily armed ICE agents used tear gas, flash grenades, and pepper-ball rounds to disperse demonstrators outside a detention center. Reverend Beth Brown, who was present, said protesters were peaceful when officers fired on them. DHS countered that more than 200 “rioters” blocked access to the facility and attempted to breach its gates.
The protests came as California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law banning ICE agents from wearing masks to conceal their identities, arguing it undermines accountability. Trump administration officials, however, insist masks are necessary for officer safety, especially after the Dallas attack.
The mounting clashes have intensified concerns among Hispanic residents, some of whom say they are being targeted solely based on appearance, allegations the Trump administration denies. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted an injunction that had restricted ICE from making stops based on ethnicity or language in Los Angeles.
Adding to the tensions, Friday also marked the funeral in Michoacan, Mexico, of Silverio Villegas Gonzalez, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent during a traffic stop outside Chicago. DHS maintains the officer feared for his life, though bodycam footage captured the agent downplaying his own injuries.
The wave of confrontations underscores the deepening conflict between federal immigration authorities and Democratic-led cities, where enforcement crackdowns have fueled near-daily protests and heightened fears among immigrant communities.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
