ICE Agents Pepper Sprayed Peaceful Protesters During Sit-in at Arizona Detention Center, DHS OIG Report Shows

[SilentPanda]

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents used heavy-handed force and a variety of chemical agents against peaceful protesters concerned about COVID-19 precautions in an immigration detention facility, a government watchdog has found.

According to a Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) report issued Thursday, ICE agents at the La Palma Correctional Center (LPCC) suppressed "peaceful detainee protests of the facility's handling of the pandemic" in April last year.

"On April 11 and April 13, 2020, detainees held peaceful protests at the facility," the 36-page report notes. "According to detainees, the protests were a result of LPCC not providing appropriate protective equipment to prevent the spread of COVID-19."

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And, though initially denying the use of such force, ICE agents later admitted to investigators that they did use the alleged chemical agents and did so pursuant to policy that allows non-lethal force to quell civil disobedience.

The oversight agency was able to corroborate immigrants' claims that ICE used chemicals against them during the sit-ins by consulting "video surveillance footage related to incidents for which detainees were placed in segregation including the two protests in April 2020."

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As for the underlying concerns that motivated the protests, DHS OIG effectively determined that those grievances were valid.

"Although LPCC officials took some measures to prevent the spread [of COVID-19], such as serving meals in detainee housing areas and restricting visitation and services, they did not ensure detainees wore masks and practiced social distancing," the report notes. "Also, not all detainees received masks."

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ICE Says They Can Use Chemical Agents Against Peaceful Protesters

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents used heavy-handed force and a variety of chemical agents against peaceful protesters concerned about COVID-19 precautions in an immigration detention facility, a government watchdog has found.

lawandcrime.com

Claim they didn't, but they record their own action showing they did?

 

[Kard8p3]

Fuck ICE.

 

[Verelios]

Fuck ICE, just garbage people.

 

[GK86]

I wish nothing but bad things for the assholes that work at ICE. From the top down.

Abolish them already.

 

[Thordinson]

Absolutely terrible.

Abolish ICE.

 

[Red]

Claim they didn't, but they record their own action showing they did?

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Sounds like ICE.

 

[julia crawford]

Every one of those fuckers should be the ones behind bars, fuck ICE and fuck anybody who's part of it

 

[Khanimus]

Not a single fuckin member of ICE is worth a fucking shit. All of em are scum.

 

[Strike]

It needs to go.