Authorities are investigating a tense incident that occurred in San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles, where a federal border agent fired shots at a moving vehicle during an immigration stop. The incident began shortly before 9 AM. The driver, a 43-year-old man from Mexico with no legal status, sped off after repeatedly declining to lower his window. The event raised important, critical questions about immigration enforcement practices and public safety.
Javier Hernandez, executive director of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, who participated in mediating a dialogue with the driver’s family. He then published their description of what happened. Hernandez shared that the driver has made the United States home for 23 years. He noted that the driver has two close family members who are U.S. citizens: an 18-year-old son and a 23-year-old son-in-law. Both of them recorded a portion of the incident on video.
While DHS claims the driver failed to yield to an immigration stop, the driver actually obeyed the law. The agents who stopped him were federal agents most likely from Customs and Border Protection (CBP). When the driver failed to comply, he drove off. This caused the federal agent to fire 34 shots at the car.
“What do you want?” – Son or son-in-law of the driver
The family alleges that the driver then fled the scene. He then called the San Bernardino Police Department, and told them that masked men had stopped him, broken his car window, and shot at him. Video footage recorded by his son and son-in-law reportedly documents three shots fired at him during the encounter.
That’s because federal agents were the ones who made the immigration stop. Yet California law prohibits local police from assisting them with immigration enforcement. Following the shooting, officers from the San Bernardino Police Department arrived to assist with crowd control but did not engage in any immigration enforcement activities.
In the days following the incident, federal agents attempted to meet with the driver at his residence. The family wouldn’t let them in, since they didn’t have a warrant. This refusal underscored long-standing tensions between immigrant communities and the federal immigration enforcement apparatus.
The DHS issued a statement regarding the incident, emphasizing that “the reckless decision came despite the subject’s outright refusal to comply and his wounding of two federal officers.” This comment implies that the scenario might have been much worse without police involvement.
The U.S. Justice Department reiterated its stance on local law enforcement’s role in immigration matters, asserting that they do not “impede enforcement of federal immigration laws.” This announcement underscores the realities of immigration enforcement in California. It shines a spotlight on the challenge of ensuring community safety while meeting federal requirements.
Community leaders and advocates are continuing to call for a complete investigation into the actions taken by these federal agents. They are fervently demanding accountability just as this situation recently exploded. They voice grave concerns where there are potential abuses of power in the administration of immigration enforcement procedures. They’re advocating for more transparency in how these incidents are dealt with.