Erik Zepeda, a 20-year-old high school student, was stopped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers last month in the small agricultural city of Santa Maria, famed for its strawberry harvest, where 79% of residents are Latino. His wrist was broken and later required surgery.
Zepeda, who has disabilities that affect his physical reflexes and ability to communicate verbally, told the Guardian in writing that he was “walking to school the same way I do every day” when the ICE agents “tackled me and handcuffed me (and) hurt me”.
“I thought they were going to kill me,” Zepeda said. “I did not do anything wrong, and they should never have done that. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
An ICE-watch observer who witnessed the incident unfold on 21 October told the Guardian that masked ICE agents approached Zepeda from behind, pinned him face-down on the ground and put him in a car. The agents then drove the student around for a while before letting him out. With a black eye and his wrist in severe pain, Zepeda walked the remaining half mile to his school, where staff called an ambulance.
The observer, who volunteers with a local rapid response network to document ICE activity, asked not to be named due to fears of retaliation from federal officials. To independently verify the observer’s account, the Guardian reviewed dashcam and phone videos that the observer recorded of the incident.
Don't worry I'm sure Schumer/Jeffries and the other DNC leaders will do something about that anytime now. Yup, anytime......
Though if they don't(and they won't) there's always still becoming armed and organized. Far more valuable than waiting for the same defunct party that helped usher in this age of fascism, especially when they say that justice isn't a priority for them.