Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are accused of wrongdoing after they stopped a U.S. citizen in Long Beach, and allegedly broke his arm in the process. Video and witness reports don’t show any legitimate reason for the detainment.
Instead, security camera footage shows Ricardo Gonzalez, a former city employee, riding an e-bike when he’s detained. Further video, captured on a bystander’s cell phone camera, shows the man being held down on the ground as he tells officers he’s a citizen and that his arm has been broken.
ICE Detainment Incident
Security footage shows Ricardo Gonzalez, a U.S. citizen and former Long Beach city employee, turning a corner on an e-bike as sirens begin wailing. In cell phone camera footage, we see the man being held down on the ground by men in ICE vests. A witness says she heard him tell the agents he was a citizen, and, “Next thing I know, he was on the ground.”
ICE reportedly contacted local police for assistance with a vandalized vehicle and a bleeding person. The person bleeding was Gonzalez, but there’s no information about the alleged vehicle vandalism. Nor is there any record suggesting charges were filed against Gonzales following the incident.
While the man’s family told NBC that he was taken to a hospital to have his injuries treated and is now resting at home, they declined to be interviewed further.
Long Beach Mayor Calls Incident “Outrageous;” Demands Accountability
It’s still unclear why Gonzales was stopped, but elected officials representing the area don’t seem to be convinced there was a legitimate reason.
Representative Robert Garcia, who represents California in Congress and previously served as Long Beach mayor, shared a statement responding to the incident. He called the detainment a “brutal attack,” praised neighbors for documenting it and standing up to ICE, and added:
“Donald Trump and his inhumane and illegal deportation machine must be stopped. Long Beach stands with our community and our immigrant families. ICE is not welcome in Long Beach. Abolish ICE.”
The current mayor had even more to say. Mayor Rex Richardson announced via social media that he has submitted a formal complaint calling for accountability. He identified Ricardo Gonzales as “a Long Beach resident, father, and former City employee,” and said that what happened to him was outrageous and unacceptable.
“I am demanding an independent investigation into the incident and broader operation, the immediate removal of the agents involved from field duties, and a public accounting of the findings.”
He warned DHS that under the law, they must preserve any evidence, acknowledge the complaint within 48 hours, and respond to it within 7 days, and that this cannot “disappear into an internal investigation that the public never hears about again. Ultimately, he called for ICE to end in his city.
“We need ICE out of Long Beach. Our neighborhoods should be places where families feel safe, not where they live in fear of federal enforcement operations.”
ICE Brutality Under The Trump Administration
ICE has been the subject of much concern over the past year, as the public has witnessed a string of acts of violence and harm. In January, when Renee Good and Alex Pretti were both shot and killed a few weeks apart (the former while trying to follow an ICE agent’s orders to move her vehicle; the latter while on the ground after being tackled while filming law enforcement agents), The American Prospect produced a running list.
By their count, as of the August 15th update, Customs & Border Protection (CBP), ICE, and related agencies have been responsible for 32 deaths, including ten by shooting, more than half a dozen by drowning, and several hit by vehicles. They count another 63 deaths in custody, where most on their list died either from medical incidents or are described as “unknown” cause, but following medical issues.
The injury count is 47. Many names on their injury list were reportedly hurt by gunfire or the use of another weapon; others suffered head injuries or assaults.
Ricardo Gonzales is not yet on the list.
