Beyond the Border: Another deadly ICE shooting, a temporary end to vehicle stops and fast-tracked cases for immigrant children
Here's what happened this week in immigration news.
Written by Jenna Ramiscal, Edited by Kate Morrissey
Welcome to another edition of Beyond the Border, which summarizes immigration news from across the country in a weekly roundup. Did we miss something? Message us via kate@daylightsandiego.org or on Instagram.
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ICE fatal shooting in Maine
The Guardian reported that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer killed a 26-year-old Colombian man in Maine a few days after an officer in Houston fatally shot Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. The Department of Homeland Security has claimed the officer feared for public safety after it said the man attempted to flee the scene in his car. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said that the man was not a target of an immigration enforcement operation.
PBS reported that King is calling for the federal government to include local officials in an open investigation of the shooting. King also said that federal agencies lack credibility because ICE officers weren’t wearing body cameras at the time of the shooting meaning their claims cannot be verified.
The New York Times identified the man as Joan Sebastian Guerrero. The outlet spoke to Guerrero’s father who said his son had entered the U.S. legally and had work authorization. Guerrero worked as a food delivery driver and a late-night cleaner to support his wife and child. The Department of Homeland Security is disputing the claim.
The Guardian published surveillance footage that shows ICE officers surrounding a vehicle, drawing their weapons and pulling Guerrero from the car.
The Washington Post posted a video on Instagram of Guerrero’s sister saying that he was hardworking and dedicated to his family.
The Department of Homeland Security ordered ICE to halt vehicle stops after the agency killed Araujo and Guerrero, The New York Times reported. The Guardian reported that the White House later overturned the memo.
Updates on the killing in Houston
The New York Times reported that Houston’s mayor, police department and district attorney will investigate ICE’s killing of Mexican immigrant Araujo after three witnesses questioned the federal government's account of what happened.
The Texas Tribune reported that ICE’s use of unmarked vehicles during Araujo’s killing violates policy and possibly the law, according to more than a dozen attorneys and former law enforcement officials.
CNN reported that Mexico requested criminal investigations after 17 Mexican immigrants died in ICE custody or enforcement operations.
In custody death
The Guardian reported that a 45-year-old Venezuelan man named Jesús Manuel Arenas-Silva died this week while being transported between ICE detention facilities. His is the 22nd ICE custody death this year. Arenas-Silva was taken into custody during an enforcement operation in Georgia, and medical personnel treated him while in custody. ICE said his suspected cause of death is cardiac arrest.
Killed while fleeing ICE
CNN reported that a tractor trailer struck and killed a 28-year-old man fleeing ICE officers in Florida.
News4JAX reported that activists are organizing a rally at the Duval County courthouse and that the man’s name has not been released.
Immigrant children
CT Insider reported that the federal government is holding two dozen unaccompanied children in custody in Connecticut. Some, including a 5-year-old girl who spent more than 100 days detained, spend days at federally contracted facilities that have no licensing or oversight and sleep at foster homes at night.
ProPublica reported that immigration courts issue monthly removal and voluntary departure orders for immigrant minors at a rate that is four times higher than President Donald Trump’s last term. The federal government is detaining people who have protection under Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, which normally allows them to stay in the country and pursue green cards.
ICE has detained over 650 children in California during Trump’s second term, EdSource reported.
El Paso Matters reported that immigration judges are fast-tracking hearings for children of people who have been deported, giving attorneys and minors little time to prepare.
Other stories to watch
Dozens of people held at Otay Mesa Detention Center have found joy through watching the World Cup, KPBS reported.
The L.A. Taco reported that a mother detained in the Glasshouse Farms raids, where one man died during the immigration enforcement operation, is still scarred from the experience.
Immigration attorneys say that the continual shifts and changes in policies are affecting how courts operate, and they are struggling to keep up with the changes to be able to do their jobs, Borderless Magazine reported.
The Bulwark reported that automatic license plate readers on college campuses are assisting federal agencies in immigration enforcement operations. A grassroots coalition is launching a campaign to get rid of them.
A Tucson summer camp for children whose families are seeking asylum in the U.S. provides joy through week-long activities, The Border Chronicle reported.
Borderless Magazine reported that mutual aid groups in Chicago are helping those impacted by immigration raids and federal policy changes.
Thanks for reading! Take care and stay well.
— Jenna
