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In February, Carmen Cruz’s son, Erick Diaz Cruz (age 26), came from Mexico to NYC to visit for a couple weeks. On the 6th, ICE officials showed up to Cruz’s home claiming to be police investigating a car theft. They were actually coming by to arrest her boyfriend, Avendano Hernandez, on an immigration detainer.
The arrest of Hernandez, however, quickly evolved into a shooting—an unnamed ICE agent fired his gun at Diaz Cruz, seriously injuring his hand and face (vision loss, sinus damage, fractures). The bullet is actually still lodged in his neck, and he will require more surgeries. Cruz has since filed a lawsuit in federal court against the shooter.
This situation exemplifies the very real fear that people have of ICE’s agency across the U.S. Even in a sanctuary city like NYC, which limits the cooperation of local law enforcement with federal immigration officials, ICE threatens the safety of travelers, citizens, and undocumented immigrants alike.
Rachel Wagner 