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.
Worse than Slave Patrols. Long ago, they’d get in trouble if they captured and returned a slave and they couldn’t work the next day.
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.
The agents then drove the student around for a while before letting him out.
What procedure is this?!
Either you make an arrest, assume responsibility (including medical) for your prisoner and document the procedure properly, or you don’t arrest them at all.
Breaking a wrist, noticing your fuck up, and throwing them back on the street is not how any of this works.
That procedure is called fascism.
Breaking a wrist, noticing your fuck up, and throwing them back on the street is not how any of this works.
this is exactly how all of this works. have you not been paying attention to police, like…ever??
This happened to someone in my neighborhood a few months ago. ICE torqued his arm real bad getting him into the car, then after driving him around and “interrogating” him, they realized he was a citizen and just left him on the side of the road.
The local cops took a report and started a paper trail, but because it happened outside town, it’s the sheriff’s jurisdiction, so not much happened.
Bandit kidnapping students procedure mandated by orange president
They were beating him in the car :(
Reminder: Hakeem Jefferies and Chuck Schumer REFUSE to abolish ICE.
If you have Democratic representatives in the next congress, call them and demand that Jefferies and Schumer are not made Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader, respectively.
Sign the petitions to deny these two those roles as well:
Petition against Jefferies:
Petition against Schumer:
Please spread the word and links far and wide.
Here here. Sign and call, and be ready to protest if they don’t listen.
Don’t let them ignore the voices of the people.
Signed. Dang, Schumer’s doesn’t have nearly as many signatures, let’s go people
As far as I can tell none of the other congress people seem to want that job. I wish one of them would step up
deleted by creator
I love that people have the courage to follow ICE and record their bullshit
I was gonna say, shout out to the observer who documented this, the folks who tail lCE are doing a better job of protecting their communities than ICE ever has.
Stopping this AFTER Texas Kansas and Mississippi turned BLUE is NOT on The Agenda!
-LITERALLY Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer!
Doesn’t affect them personally.
Ya what the hell. Just as I was considering MAYBE crossing back over the line…
deleted by creator
Yes. Its addressed in the article. Hes disabled.
“Glenn Goldin, is a retired special education teacher who formerly taught Zepeda and remains a close mentor to him. He described Zepeda, who lives in a group home for adults with disabilities, as quiet, sensitive and a caring housemate, who loves the Golden State Warriors and likes to spend time scrolling TikTok”
I think they’re afraid of education
