As ICE activity has surged in Minneapolis following the killing of Renee Nicole Good, the DHS has spoken highly about ICE primarily arresting “the worst of the worst.” This phrase, “The worst of the worst,” has been frequently repeated by the DHS, with a statement on their website last year stating that “Secretary Noem has unleashed ICE to target the worst of the worst.” Although it is praiseworthy to target genuine criminals, it appears that ICE may have a rather questionable definition of targeting “The worst of the worst,” if that is who is being targeted. A few notable examples come to mind, and I myself have my own concerns regarding ICE. Below are number of examples of genuine cruelty from ICE.
Liam Ramos
Liam Ramos is a five-year old who, along with his father Cornejo Arias, was arrested by ICE after coming home from pre-school. ICE claims that Arias had “abandoned” Liam and that the agents were merely protecting Liam in the cold, but this is contradicted by witnesses. Zena Stevnik, the superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools, which is where Liam attends, states that the agents used Liam as “bait,” asking him to knock on the front door of the home to see if anybody was home. Another adult living in the home had also pleaded for Liam to be taken care of by her, however the agents instead arrested Liam. Twenty minutes later, Liam’s older brother who is in middle school, arrived home to find his family missing. Children coming from their homes to find their families disappeared is reminiscent of a totalitarian state.
Liam and his family have an active asylum case, having arrived at an official US port of entry from Ecuador. Tricia McLaughin, assistant DHS secretary denounced Liam Ramos’ father as nothing more than an “Illegal alien” without evidence of them having actually entered illegally and claimed that “ICE did NOT target a child.” However, if ICE had no intent of arresting Liam and his father is among the “worst of the worst,” why is Liam within a detainment facility in Texas and not in the custody of CPS or the woman who had asked if she could take care? Or the school district that clearly cares about Liam’s well-being considering their own superintendent made a personal visit?
Luckily, Liam and his father would be released from imprisonment following an order from a judge. During detainment however, the experience certainly had a massive impact on the child. Rep. Joaquin Castro described Liam as “lethargic” and his father stated that Liam was “very depressed” and that he “hasn’t been eating well.” Rep. Castro raised further concerns regarding a two-month old baby in the facility, and children “mentally broken because of the trauma they’re experiencing.”
Liam is the fourth child to be taken by ICE in his school district. According to the district, other victims include:
- A 10-year-old fourth grade student, taken by ICE on her way to school with her mother. Currently imprisoned in Texas.
- A 17-year-old high school student, taken from her car by armed and masked agents without her parent’s knowledge.
- A 17-year-old girl, arrested with her mother in their apartment.
Now that Liam has been released, let it be hoped that all children and their families detained by ICE for no crime are released.
Are children and their families among the “Worst of the worst”?
Rümeysa Öztürk
Rümeysa Öztürk is a Turkish graduate student at Tufts University, who in 2024 was arrested by ICE after criticizing Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip and calling for the university to divest from its investments in Israel in an op-ed for Tufts Daily, the school’s newspaper. Her visa was then revoked without her knowledge, and weeks later she was kidnapped by masked agents while walking to an Iftari. The officers who were dressed in civilian clothing proceeded to force her into an unmarked vehicle, showing no warrants, and giving no indication of their affiliation. Although an order was given by a US district judge not to move her within 48 hours of her arrest, ICE did so anyways, relocating her to a facility in Louisiana.
Although it was alleged that she had partaken in vandalism, antisemitism, and support for terrorist organizations such as Hamas, no evidence came to light, meaning that her arrest was due to her op-ed.
Here is an excerpt from an article she wrote in Vanity Fair regarding her detention and the inhumane mistreatment that she and other women faced in a privately-run ICE women’s prison:
“From cancer to colds to women’s diseases, ibuprofen was the magical pill the medical staff offered. My friends had to wait for emergency help for a long time, sometimes for days. Other women shared that they had given up on seeking help, deciding it was better to endure severe health consequences than to visit that center and be treated inhumanely. Some of the medical staff would raise their voices at us. They’d say things like, “You’re giving me a headache,” “Why are you always coming during my shift?” and “I’m not giving you anything.” When I asked questions, they responded that they couldn’t “babysit” me. Many women said that the medical staff did not believe they were sick. They shared how, upon arrival, they were in relatively good health, but their conditions deteriorated day by day due to inadequate access to medical care, nutritious food, sleep, sunlight, and fresh air. They experienced loss of menstruation, declining mental health, and even hair loss due to overwhelming stress. We worried about our friends with wheelchairs, cancer, a deaf friend, and friends with serious chronic illnesses such as diabetes.”
This is not a way to treat another human being.
As of now, she has been released from ICE custody as the final decision over case is pended, and she is allowed to resume her studies. However, the very fact that someone can be taken off the street and put into an unmarked car for simply writing an op-ed, with no warrant being shown, is beyond concerning and flies into the face of the First Amendment.
Is a student exercising her first amendment right among the “worst of the worst?”
George Retes Jr.
George Retes is an Army veteran and security contractor in Ventura, California. While on his way to work, he accidentally encountered an anti-ICE protest. He stepped out of his car to ask if he could proceed to his job, and then proceeded to get back into his car. ICE agents then fired tear gas at the protesters and surrounded his car, smashing in its windows and forcing him out. He was then arrested by ICE. One agent kneeled on his neck while another did the same on his back.
He was then transferred to a detention facility in Los Angeles. Although he was released after 72 hours, he was not allowed to contact a lawyer and for his first day was not allowed to shower despite hurting from pepper spray and tear gas. No reason was given for him being detained.
Was George Retes, a man willing to put his life down for the United States, among the “worst of the worst?”
Arnoldo & Karla Caal
Arnoldo Caal was coming home after dropping his ten-year old daughter Karla to school when he was arrested by ICE agents. He possesses no criminal record, has an active asylum case, valid work permit, and has been in the US for six years.
Caal and his daughter are currently in an ICE prison in Texas, particularly the South Texas Family Residential Center, which is notorious for allegations of inhumane treatment. Prisoners reportedly are given inadequate water, improper medical care, and are given food containing mold. Currently, they are at risk of being deported to Guatemala.
Are a father and daughter fleeing poverty and violence in Guatemala among the “worst of the worst?”
Alex Pretti
Alex Pretti was an ICU nurse for the Minneapolis VA Hospital. He was killed by ICE agents on January 24th. The DHS claimed that Pretti was killed in “self-defence,” and White House aide Stephen Miller referred to Pretti, a man who has devoted years of his life to caring for veterans, as a “domestic terrorist.” Moreover, Pretti was a US citizen.
Video footage shows that although Pretti was armed with a licensed firearm (which is legal in Minnesota), his weapon was likely taken away from him by the time he was shot, and he was being beaten to the ground by the ICE agents, already subdued. Along with this, the video shows that his arms were both in front of him as he was forced to the ground, therefore incapable of reaching for his firearm if he was still armed. As he was on the ground, a masked agent proceeded to shoot him in the back, surrounded by multiple other agents. In his last moments before being forced to the ground he is shown bravely defending a woman from being pepper sprayed after another was shoved to the ground by an ICE agent who was assaulting her.
In what way did one man who had been pepper sprayed, shoved to the ground, beaten, disarmed, and surrounded pose a threat to agents armed to the teeth? This isn’t self defense, it is an execution.
Was Alex Pretti, a man who served veterans, whose very occupation was based around helping the sick, who spent his last moments protecting a woman among the “worst of the worst?”
Author’s Perspective
I am a second-generation immigrant, whose parents legally immigrated to the United States from Pakistan and are now naturalized US citizens. When the Trump Administration began its second term, there was little cause for concern in regards to ICE increasing activity. After all, we are all citizens. But then, ICE began to detain legal immigrants, citizens, and now, has begun to quite literally murder people. My parents have told me to carry my passport wherever I go once I am in college, or anything that can prove my citizenship in the event that I am stopped by an ICE officer, and my loved ones have expressed concern that I might be detained for quite literally no reason, or worse.
Although I have not been stopped by ICE or had an encounter with them, as I watch ICE terrorize the immigrant community, my fellow South Asians and Muslims included, to the point where immigrants in cities such as Minneapolis have to stay home, keep their kids from going to school, not go to work, all in fear of ICE, there are questions I have to ask myself.
Will I one day come home to see that my family has vanished?
Will I have to walk through a city knowing I could be approached by ICE agents based solely on how I look?
Will I have to see my friends and family be kidnapped by masked men off the street?
Will I be viewed as being among “the worst of the worst?”
“In thee the asylum of mankind, shall welcome nations find repose! Rise Columbia! Columbia, brave and free!”- Rise Columbia, an American patriotic song, c. 1800.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free… Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” – The New Colossus, by Emma Lazarus, c. 1883.