Two Hospitalized After ICE Shooting in Maryland

A late-morning immigration arrest in suburban Maryland on Wednesday ended with gunfire, a crash, and two hospitalizations, federal and local officials say. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Glen Burnie, outside Baltimore, approached a van with two men who officials said were in the country illegally, reports the New York Times. When officers told the driver to turn off the engine, he instead "began ramming his van into several ICE vehicles," says a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.

The driver, identified as 42-year-old Portuguese national Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, drove directly at ICE officers, says the spokesperson for ICE and another for the Anne Arundel County Police, per the Baltimore Banner. After officers opened fire, the van came to rest in a nearby wooded area. Sousa-Martins was shot, and his passenger, identified as Salvadoran national Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel, suffered whiplash, say authorities. Both remain hospitalized. Immigration officials say Sousa-Martins, whose injuries are not life-threatening, overstayed a visa and has been in the US illegally for about 17 years.

The encounter comes amid heightened political friction over immigration enforcement and follows other violent incidents involving ICE, including a fatal shooting in the Chicago area. "Continued efforts to encourage illegal aliens and violent agitators to actively resist ICE will only lead to more violent incidents," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin after Wednesday's shooting, per the AP. Democratic county councilwoman Allison Pickard called for an investigation and questioned whether such confrontations are becoming "the new normal" in communities around the country.