A construction worker was sent to the hospital after being tased and kicked in the head by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who were detaining him Thursday morning, according to advocates with Danbury Unites for Immigrants (DUFI).
The hospitalization comes as immigrant rights advocates report escalating violence during ICE encounters since raids began on Monday.
“My dad called me this morning and to be honest, I got a feeling like something was wrong,” the man’s nephew said.
The nephew is asking to keep himself and his uncle anonymous for their family’s safety.
According to the nephew, the man was leaving for work Thursday morning when ICE officers surrounded the car he was in and pulled him out of the vehicle and onto the ground.
Video that DUFI shared with Connecticut Public and on social media appears to show an ICE agent kicking him in the head. One agent asked him to put his hands behind his back. Another officer shouted, “Do it now, or you’re going to get tased.”
Other individuals that were in the car with him can be seen being detained by ICE as well. ICE officials have declined to comment on ongoing operations, citing security concerns.
“They tasered him. I don't know why. He was already on the floor with three guys on top. You don't have to do that. You can say, ‘it’s enough,’” the nephew said.
Families left wondering
The nephew said his uncle is a hardworking man, who once owned a bakery in Mexico. He shared memories of his uncle baking bread for Día de los Muertos and making traditional sweet bread called roscas for Three Kings Day.
“He's not a delinquent,” the nephew said. “He's not doing anything wrong.”
His nephew tried to visit him at Danbury Hospital along with activists and a lawyer.
Danbury Hospital staff asked them to leave. Hospital officials said they cannot share information about whether or not the man was at the hospital due to health privacy rights.
The man’s whereabouts and condition were unknown as of Tuesday afternoon. His legal representation is working to locate him. The nephew said he is hoping for good news soon.
The nephew is asking immigrants in Connecticut to take care of themselves.
“We know that those of us here are good people and want to build a better future,” he said in Spanish. “I am confident that we will pull through and we all know that without the Latino community, this country is nothing.”
An apparent uptick in aggressive tactics
The incident follows a week of consistent ICE presence in Danbury and other parts of the state. In Danbury, DUFI confirmed nine individuals taken by ICE Thursday, bringing the total to nearly 60 people detained so far this week.
“We saw again that Danbury has become the epicenter of ICE violence in Connecticut,” DUFI volunteer Juliana Soares said. “We saw the highest level of ICE activity all summer.”
DUFI member Carolina Bortolleto said ICE agents have shown an increase in aggressive tactics since Monday.
She said the organization heard accounts of ICE agents “pushing peaceful bystanders”, tackling community members, and using pepper spray. These tactics have been seen on the sidewalk, at a supermarket immigrants are known to frequent, and outside of a daycare, she said.
So far this week, Bortolleto said two community members were tased Thursday, including the man who went to the hospital after he was apparently kicked in the head on his way to work.
DUFI co-founder Juan Fonseca Tapia said two volunteers working as legal observers also faced aggressive tactics during an ICE encounter on Wednesday.
“They were pepper sprayed. One of them ended up in the hospital,” Tapia said. “When [the ICE agents] were leaving the parking lot, one of their vehicles hit me.”
Bortolleto said the legal observer who was hospitalized after being pepper sprayed was treated and is okay. He has since returned to his volunteer work, she said.
“They want to strike fear in our community. But we won't let them,” Bortolleto said. “Danbury is a city whose strength comes from our diversity, where a piece of paper does not define your worth and does not determine your dignity.”
Learn more
The Connecticut Immigrant Support Network (CISN) has created a hub for immigrant resources in Connecticut that provides information for immigrant families, organizations, schools, and elected officials.
Additional resources can be found through Connecticut Public’s Immigrant Resource Guide.
