Local elected officials said that when ICE agents were spotted bringing a detainee to the hospital after he had apparently suffered some kind of fall, panic spread through the community. Hospital security reportedly prevented the agents from fully roaming the facility while they waited for the man to be treated. The agents’ vehicles also had two of its tires slashed.
DHS has since told amNewYork of the man’s identity: Eduardo Williams-Sanguillen from Panama, whom the agency claims has convictions for cocaine possession, selling cocaine, property damage, burglary, and robbery, and a pending charge for statutory rape. The agency also stated that he been previously deported twice, once in 2003 and again in 2012.
Information about the case for which Williams-Sanguillen faces charges was not provided. An amNewYork search of several New York state and city criminal databases did not yield any evidence that Williams-Sanguillen had been charged with or previously incarcerated for a crime in New York.
The DHS outlined their account of events that led to Williams-Sanguillen’s arrest and hospitalization in a spokesperson’s statement.
“When officers attempted to arrest Williams-Sanguillen with a criminal warrant at his residence, he refused to comply with officers’ lawful commands and slammed the door closed. Officers then entered the residence and found Williams-Sanguillen trying to escape through a window. Williams-Sanguillen became physically combative, resisting arrest and striking an officer. Officers were able to subdue Williams-Sanguillen. One officer sustained cuts and scratches to both arms,” a DHS spokesperson said.
The spokesperson further alleged that Williams-Sanguillen complained of chest pain, which led agents to take him to Brookdale Hospital.
According to Sen. Roxanne Persaud’s office, ICE agents told staff that the man later identified as Williams-Sanguillen had fallen from a window. On Tuesday, she told amNewYork she does not have a problem with ICE removing criminals, the problem she says is when the agency lies and harasses non-criminals.
“I am frustrated that ICE continues to terrorize our communities by coming here. It puts people on edge. People are already on edge, and we need to work with our federal partners to put a stop to this,” Persaud said. “I understand they have a role to play. If they’re doing their jobs correctly, I have no problem with them doing their jobs correctly.”
The agency has been caught in several lies in the past, including altering the narratives during high-profile incidents, such as when the press was roughed up by heavy-handed agents inside 26 Federal Plaza. This, as well as recent, high-profile, deadly ICE shootings, has garnered widespread mistrust from the public.
Several protesters gathered outside of Brookdale on Tuesday when it became clear that ICE agents were inside the hospital. When the masked agents left the medical center, they found that several of their tires had been slashed, forcing them to drive away on their rims.
“Anti-ICE agitators gathered outside the hospital, and when officers returned to their vehicles, it was discovered that three government vehicles had several tires slashed,” the DHS spokesperson added. “For their safety, officers left the area, driving on flat tires as anti-ICE agitators continued to mobilize and surround their vehicle. Williams-Sanguillen was released from the hospital the same day and has been turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.”
When the men climbed into their vehicle, it became apparent that their two right-side tires had been slashed. The vehicle sped away, rolling on its rims. Photo by Dean Moses