A federal immigration officer fired his weapon at a Honduran national’s vehicle twice in self-defense on Wednesday after the driver began to pull away in the officer’s direction, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The incident unfolded early Wednesday on a freeway in Phoenix, where ICE officers stopped a black SUV around 4 a.m. local time. The driver, identified as Jose Garcia-Sorto, initially stopped but began speeding away in his vehicle prior to the gunshots.
ICE said the officer, “fearing for his life,” discharged his service weapon. The officer was taken to the hospital for evaluation, and the illegal immigrant was treated for a wound. The agency said Garcia-Sorto was in “stable condition.”
The FBI’s Phoenix Field Office is leading the investigation into the shooting.
“These are the consequences of conduct and rhetoric by dishonest politicians who spew misinformation and activists who urge illegal aliens to resist arrest,” ICE said in a statement. “Resisting arrest puts the safety of illegal aliens, law enforcement, and the public at risk. Our law enforcement officers are facing a more than 1000% increase in assaults against them including vehicle rammings by illegal aliens,” the agency added. “We are once again calling on sanctuary politicians, agitators, and the media to turn the temperature down and stop calling for violence and resistance against ICE law enforcement.”
As the Trump administration ramps up its immigration enforcement, there have been numerous ramming incidents targeting immigration officers.
In Chicago earlier this month, several vehicles rammed and boxed in federal officers. The incident resulted in officers firing non-fatal defensive shots at an armed citizen, who was later indicted.
Another officer-involved shooting recently took place in Washington, D.C., where authorities stopped an unarmed black man for a traffic violation before a Homeland Security Investigations officer opened fire on the vehicle. The suspect was not injured in the shooting and was charged for allegedly fleeing from law enforcement.
A judge found there was insufficient evidence that he tried to escape, thereby dismissing the case.
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The man’s lawyers argued that the Metropolitan Police Department attempted to cover up the incident, pointing to an officer’s admission that he was told not to mention the shooting in a police report.
The federal district’s police department is investigating the incident, and Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, will independently review the case.
