Rafie Ollah Shouhed, a 79-year-old American citizen with a car wash in the L.A. Now, he’s launched a federal lawsuit against the federal government, seeking more than $50 million in damages. The lawsuit originates from an event on September 9. U.S. immigration authorities detained him during a worksite raid that he characterizes as violent and illegal.
During the raid, Shouhed alleges that three agents aggressively subdued him, slamming him to the ground and causing several serious injuries. He stuck it out for almost 12 hours of detention time. During that ordeal, he went on to mismanage broken ribs, a traumatic brain injury, and traumatic elbow injuries. Shouhed had just had heart surgery prior to this and was still recovering. He told the waiting agents that there was a medical emergency.
The violent encounter, which occurred at his auto detail center, was caught on video. The video, filmed by an outsider, captures the agents in masks storming into the establishment before confronting Shouhed. As per eyewitness reports, rather than communicating with this young man clearly and allowing him to comply, the agents instead used physical force.
Shouhed’s lawyer, James DeSimone, condemned the guys’ behavior as “lawless, reckless and cruel.” He pointed out that the incident is symptomatic of something even larger — possible, serious civil rights violations.
“If this can happen in broad daylight to an American senior citizen who committed no crime, it can happen to anyone. This was not law enforcement; it was an assault on civil rights and our democracy cannot survive if federal agents operate above the law.” – James DeSimone
DeSimone further criticized the behavior of the agents involved, asserting that they “violated the Constitution, California civil rights law, and basic human decency.” He highlighted that how the agents acted is part of a disturbing pattern in immigration enforcement practices.
Shouhed expressed his disbelief over the incident, stating, “I thought this was a nice country, a good country. Why do they do this kind of thing to you?” His reflections show just how heavy the emotional impact of the meeting was. This impact is all the more pronounced given his advanced age and health challenges.
After the incident, and after having been released from custody, Shouhed needed treatment at an area hospital to address post-concussive symptoms sustained as a result of the incident. We know that the injuries he suffered have exacerbated his preexisting health problems and increased fears for his future quality of life.
As DeSimone explained, the video documentation of the incident shows that there are some major problems. It reflects a much broader culture of malfeasance within enforcement agencies. He stated, “The video shows you, this is the way ICE is operating our community. They use physical force and do not speak to the people in order to ascertain who is there legally in order to do their job.”
Shouhed is resolute in his fight for justice through his lawsuit. Along the way, he hopes to expose what he terms the systemic problems of immigration enforcement. The case has brought to light some important issues concerning the rights of civilians subjected to predatory operations and the accountability of federal agents.