A Portuguese man ‘living illegally’ in the United States for the last 17 years was shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Christmas Eve after “refusing to stop and crashing into several cars”.
Agents say he tried to run them over during the escape, prompting them to fire.
Tiago Sousa-Martins, said to have ‘outstayed his visa’ since 2009, was hospitalised along with his passenger, described as ‘an El Salvadorean native’. Both are expected to make full recoveries.
According to the New York Times, police did not provide details as to why the men were the subject of a targeted operation – but it is no secret that U.S. authorities are focused on removing ‘illegals’ of all types from the country – and many Portuguese communities in the United States are described as living on tenterhooks (if not in fear).
As all reports stress, the Trump administration has said these ICE raids on ‘illegals’ are needed to ‘deport dangerous criminals who are in the country illegally, keeping the public safer. But most immigrants who have been arrested in city crackdowns have no criminal record’ and have been living productive, blameless lives.
A recent wave of deportations from the United States have included one Portuguese citizen described as having lived 57 years in the country.
Democrats have marked their concern, stressing the marks the new policy is leaving on communities, while Frank Ferreira – an elected representative of the Portuguese community in the Baltimore area – has referred to this latest story as: “another disturbing incident. Not the kind of post I thought I’d be sharing on Christmas Day, but here we go again…”
Ferreira stresses that the shooting “is making the news for all the wrong reasons. I will add that the law and law enforcement officials are to be respected, but so are the rights of all citizens, regardless of residency status”.
“Current policies leave much to be desired. Recent events demand that an honest conversation be had (…) There are a lot of things that are very wrong with the current policies being exercised by the U.S. and Portuguese Governments (…) Here is yet another reason for long-term allies to have an honest discussion and implement reasoned and well thought policies”.
There seems little doubt that Tiago Sousa-Martins will find himself deported from the United States, but what happens to him in the short- and medium-term is what is not so clear; nor why he was ‘targeted’ in such a way that ended with him being shot.
Portuguese communities have been watching the ICE raids with rising concern since the beginning of the year. In May, Helena da Silva Hughes, president of the New Bedford Immigrant Assistance Centre told Lusa that families were leaving of their own accord in order to avoid forced deportation.
“We have many families who have been here for 15, 20 years and are trying to sell their businesses, their companies and their homes so that they can return to Portugal without any unfinished business,” she said, referencing Portuguese with businesses in the catering, construction and cleaning sectors.
Sources: CNN/ Lusa/ New York Times/ Facebook
