A neighborhood in North Long Beach garnered national attention this past week after U.S. immigration officers detained local resident and U.S. citizen Ricardo Gonzalez, apparently breaking his arm in the process \u2014 though the federal government disputed that account.<\/p>\n
This incident further enflamed ongoing concerns for Long Beach immigrants as residents, community groups and local advocacy organizations spoke against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ramping up efforts across the region and the state.<\/p>\n
Elected officials also came out condemned ICE agents\u2019 actions last week in Long Beach \u2013 and in other cities since then as well.<\/p>\n
Residents and organizations, though, have also been asking local officials to take more action to protect the immigrant community for months.<\/p>\n
Gonzalez was reportedly struck by an unmarked federal vehicle on Saturday, Oct. 17, while riding an electric bicycle in North Long Beach, according to elected officials and community members at the scene. He was with two shots from an electric Taser-type weapon, pinned to the ground and left with a broken arm, according to a congressional letter of the incident, as well as video footage. The Department of Homeland Security, however, said Gonzalez committed vandalism, which was why he was detained; DHS also defended the actions of its agents as appropriate.<\/p>\n
The incident occurred near 56th Street and Elm Avenue, where video circulated by the advocacy group StopICE.net<\/a> showed masked federal agents restraining Gonzalez on the ground as he repeatedly cried out for help. In the video, Gonzalez can be heard saying his arm was broken.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody confirmed pretty quickly that there were four ICE vehicles stationed in the neighborhood,\u201d said Long Beach resident Sherman Austin, founder of the StopICE.net platform. \u201cWe sent out alerts; I sent out alerts on StopICE.net to let the community know, and people sent out alerts on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n ICE vehicles were speeding through the residential area, Austin said in an interview, and even going the opposite direction on a one-way street.<\/p>\n Security camera footage, obtained by independent local news outlet Long Beach Watchdog<\/a>, shows the moment an unmarked federal vehicle strikes Gonzalez before agents restrained him.<\/p>\n Elected officials also accused the agents, who have not been identified, of failing to provide appropriate medical assistance despite Gonzalez\u2019s apparent injuries.<\/p>\n This week, California lawmakers called for an independent investigation into federal immigration agents\u2019 use of force against Gonzalez. Rep. Nanette Barrag\u00e1n, D-San Pedro, joined California Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, in sending a letter to Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari on Wednesday, Oct. 21, seeking an investigation into the incident involving Gonzalez.<\/p>\n \u201cICE agents are not above the law,\u201d Barrag\u00e1n said in a statement on Wednesday. \u201cThese ICE agents appear to be going after someone in North Long Beach simply for being Latino. We need an independent investigation, immediate accountability and answers for the people of Long Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n Barrag\u00e1n, Schiff, Padilla and Garcia asked the DHS inspector general to examine whether agents\u2019 actions complied with federal law, including the justification for each use of force and whether Gonzalez received appropriate medical attention.<\/p>\n The lawmakers also want investigators to determine whether other residents were stopped, detained or subjected to force during the broader immigration enforcement operation; and whether racial profiling or other improper considerations played a role. They called for the agents involved to be removed from field enforcement duties while the investigation proceeds.<\/p>\n The letter also requests preservation of body-camera footage, surveillance recordings, vehicle recordings, operational plans, incident reports, and communications among agents and supervisors. The lawmakers asked that any potential civil rights violations or criminal misconduct be referred to the Department of Justice. They further requested that DHS publicly release investigative findings and information about any substantiated violations or disciplinary action to the fullest extent permitted by law.<\/p>\n The letter asked for written acknowledgment from the inspector general within 48 hours and an outline of investigative steps and interim actions within seven days. It was unknown whether the inspector general had responded, as of Friday.<\/p>\n The congressional letter follows a request by Mayor Rex Richardson for an independent investigation into the encounter.<\/p>\n Richardson \u2013 in a social media statement \u2013 said ICE does not belong in Long Beach. Federal immigration activity undermines community safety and public trust, he said, and no family should have to live in fear in their own neighborhood. On Monday, Richardson submitted a formal complaint to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security demanding accountability for the actions of federal agents in Long Beach.<\/p>\n \u201cOn Saturday, Ricardo Gonzalez, a Long Beach resident, father and former city employee, was injured during an encounter with federal agents. What happened to Ricardo is outrageous and unacceptable,\u201d Richardson said in his statement. \u201cLong Beach will not stay silent when our neighbors are harmed. A federal badge is not a license to brutalize people or disregard their constitutional rights. If you are entrusted with enforcing the law, you must answer to it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need ICE out of Long Beach,\u201d Richardson added. \u201cOur neighborhoods should be places where families feel safe, not where they live in fear of federal enforcement operations.\u201d<\/p>\n The mayor\u2019s letter also demanded 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.<\/p>\n Federal officials, however, have disputed the allegations that agents struck Gonzalez with a vehicle, saying he was arrested after damaging a government vehicle.<\/p>\n A DHS spokesperson disputed allegations of excessive force, telling ABC News that ICE officers \u201cfollowed their training and used the minimum amount of force\u201d during the encounter. DHS also denied that agents struck a person riding a bicycle.<\/p>\n \u201cAn individual was arrested after he smashed the mirror of a government vehicle,\u201d DHS said in a Tuesday statement, adding that federal authorities were investigating potential charges involving damage to a government vehicle.<\/p>\n \u201cICE did NOT hit an individual on a bike,\u201d DHS added in a Thursday statement to the Press-Telegram. \u201cAn individual was arrested after he smashed the mirror of a government vehicle. Resisting arrest is dangerous and can result in injury.\u201d<\/p>\n The Long Beach Police Department said officers responding to the scene found Gonzalez handcuffed and bleeding while being detained by federal immigration agents. LBPD said officers took Gonzalez to a nearby fire station, where his handcuffs were removed, before firefighters transported him to a hospital for treatment, according to LBPD\u2019s statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Police officers on scene attempted to de-escalate the situation and directed everyone to clear the area, according to LBPD\u2019s statement. Officers left the area and some ICE agents followed LBPD personnel to a secure parking lot in the police station. There, ICE agents were subsequently directed to leave the station. They were later advised that if they wanted to file a vandalism report, they could contact Long Beach\u2019s Communications Center and an LBPD officer would respond to their location to take a report.<\/p>\n While LBPD said that officers were not involved in immigration enforcement and made no arrests, Long Beach community members said they felt the police were not aiding in de-escalation \u2014 but rather seemed like they were protecting ICE agents.<\/p>\n LBPD not getting involved, even while Gonzalez was injured, brings up questions from the community on when the police can get involved, Austin said.<\/p>\n \u201cLong Beach police will always say, \u2018We\u2019re just here to maintain public safety,\u2019 but in reality, you\u2019re letting these ICE agents who are a threat to public safety go in, do what they want, terrorize a community and then leave their own crime scene.\u201d<\/p>\n But LBPD is limited in what they can do when federal agents are involved in an incident.<\/p>\n \u201cLong Beach Police Department does not enforce civil immigration law and does not participate in federal immigration enforcement,\u201d LBPD said in a statement. \u201cIn addition, the LBPD cannot legally obstruct or interfere with federal enforcement operations.\u201d<\/p>\n