Federal immigration agents broke the arm of a US citizen in what a Democratic congressman called a “brutal attack” during a confrontation with protesters in California.
Video of Saturday’s encounter in Long Beach shows Ricardo Gonzalez, identified as a former city employee, handcuffed and face down in a gutter, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers kneeling on his back
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson told CNN on Sunday that Gonzalez had called emergency responders for help at one point. In an online fundraiser for his medical expenses, Gonzalez’s daughter, Leslie, said he was knocked off his e-bike by an unmarked ICE vehicle. “He was tased twice, pinned to the ground, and taken to the hospital for serious injuries,” she wrote. What ICE did was not right.”
The Confrontation
Richardson said: “When the police arrived, we knew that he was detained. He was on a curb. He was injured.”
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has not commented publicly on why Gonzalez was detained. The agency frequently portrays its agents’ actions as self-defense or protecting public safety
Congressman Robert Garcia, a Democrat who represents Long Beach, posted on X that he was disturbed by the encounter and called for the abolition of ICE. ” ICE agents brutally attacked and broke the arm of a North Long Beach resident and US citizen,” he wrote. “The videos are horrific and should concern not just our community but the country.
The Police Response
In a statement, the Long Beach Police Department said ICE personnel also called for emergency assistance “due to vehicle vandalism taking place and a subject in need of medical aid.” The statement said officers arrived to find “a large group disturbance” involving the federal agents.“One officer located a handcuffed male adult, being detained by ICE, who was bleeding,” the statement said. “Officers transported the handcuffed injured man to a nearby fire station. There, LBPD personnel removed the handcuffs and LBFD personnel transported the man to the hospital for medical attention.”
The LBPD said it was not involved in any immigration enforcement action and made no arrests. It said ICE agents who followed officers into a secure parking lot “were subsequently directed to leave the station.”
A Pattern of Violence
The Gonzalez case has parallels with an incident in Texas on October 10 in which an ICE agent driving an unmarked SUV ran over a man and broke his leg in three places. The Harris County district attorney, Sean Teare, said he was considering bringing felony assault charges against the immigration officer after video appeared to show the vehicle swerving into the man in a parking lot in the Houston area.
At a news conference Friday, Houston-based advocacy group FIEL accused ICE of crashing into that man while searching for another who had died years earlier. A FIEL official told the Associated Press it had turned over to ICE a death certificate for the man the group says ICE was apparently looking for.
The Bottom Line
ICE agents broke the arm of US citizen Ricardo Gonzalez during a confrontation in Long Beach, California, according to officials. Video shows Gonzalez handcuffed and face down with officers kneeling on his back. His daughter says he was tased twice and knocked off his e-bike by an unmarked ICE vehicle. Congressman Robert Garcia called it a “brutal attack” and demanded ICE’s abolition. The incident follows a similar case in Texas where an ICE agent ran over a man and broke his leg.
My Opinion
Ricardo Gonzalez is a US citizen. He was riding an e-bike in Long Beach when an unmarked ICE vehicle knocked him off. He was tased twice. He was pinned to the ground. His arm was broken. And then he was taken to the hospital in handcuffs.
The Department of Homeland Security has not explained why he was detained. It has not said what crime he was suspected of committing nor acknowledged that a US citizen was injured by federal agents who had no apparent reason to stop him.
This is not an isolated incident. In Texas, an ICE agent driving an unmarked SUV ran over a man and broke his leg in three places. The district attorney there is considering felony assault charges. The pattern is clear: federal agents are acting with impunity, and the people they are hurting are not just undocumented immigrants. They are US citizens
Robert Garcia is right. ICE cannot be reformed. It is an agency that has repeatedly shown it cannot be trusted to exercise force responsibly. The videos are horrific. They should concern every American, not just the people of Long Beach. If a US citizen can be tased and have his arm broken by federal agents with no explanation, then no one is safe.
